president's address "SECTIOX e. 147 



half years prior to the outbreak of war. The urgent demand for 

 complete and adequate maps of the theatres of war secured lor 

 this great work the official interest and support necessary for the 

 s]>ee'dv progress of the undertaking. As a result there were avail- 

 able for the armies at the closing scenes of the war some 90 sheets 

 of the great map, covering the whole of Europe, also Asia Minor 

 as far as Persia and some part of Northern Arabia. 



The treniendoius advance in aviation as a direct outcome of the 

 world-struggle has made' us more familiar with the geography of 

 the upper atmosphere, has presented a new aspect to the study of 

 morphological geography, and has opened up vistas of usefulness 

 in the prosecution of geographical discovery. 



Whilst all this has been going on, we have correspondingly less 

 to report in the department of geographical exploration, for the 

 world's energies have been otherwise directed. Nevertheless, in 

 the long period since the last meeting of this Association, import- 

 ant undertakings of this nature have been successfully concluded. 



The polar regions have been most in prominence, beginning with 

 the return of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1914, after 

 a^ campaign of twO' yeai's duration along the Antarctic shores due 

 south from Australia. Voluminous collections of data and trophies 

 were obtained, the most spectacular feature of the^ operations being 

 the addition to the map of upwards of 1,000 miles of new coast 

 line. 



The Stefansson Expedition, operating in the Beaufort Sea 

 northward ol Alaska, has, after many vicissitudes and some 

 tragedy, returned safely, bringing the news of the extension of the 

 Arctic Archipelago' still further to the west. 



Professor Macmillan's Expedition to investigate the appearance 

 of land noted by Peary, to the west of his route across the Arctic 

 sea to the pole', ended by erasing such a possibilit}'^ from thc' map. 

 The circumstance that relief was delayed for three years owing to 

 unusual ice conditions, gave them the opportunity of greatly add- 

 ing to the knowledge of Elleemere Land. 



Sir Ernest Shackletoin's Imperial Trans- Antarctic Expedition, 

 which sailed south under the shadow of war, ended in 1916, giving 

 to the world an heroic story of endurance and fortitude. Un- 

 fortunately for them, the good fortunei necessary to make such 

 hazardous plans a success did not attend their endeavour in the 

 measure: that was hoped, and so the great privations and loss of 

 life produced no- commensurate scientific gain. The sacrifice of the 

 life of Aeneas Mackinii^osh, to whom is clue the successful accom- 

 plishment of the thankless task allotted to the Ross Sea Party of 

 that expedition, is a matter of the greatest regret to his wide circle 

 of appreciative friends in Australia. 

 1084.— 14 



