BESEAKCH COMMITTEES. 547 



During the next few weeks the Federal Council will meet, 

 and the Hon. J. Muuro and the Hon. J. G. Duffy have pro- 

 mised, as Victorian delegates, to bring the desirability of 

 subsidising South Polar research officially before that Confer- 

 ence, so that the various colonies may co-operate in this grand 

 task. 



It is reported that a British owner of whale-ships has asked 

 the Tasmanian Government to grant him a lease of Macquarie 

 Island for a whaling-station, from which he seemingly proposes 

 to test the Antarctic seas for further whaling and sealing. We 

 trust that his enterprise will receive proper encouragement 

 from the authorities ; but no privileges should be given him 

 which would prevent other expeditions from utilising that 

 island. 



Our colleague, Baron von Mueller, has suggested that the 

 Swedish-Australian expedition should, as an experiment, 

 embark carrier-pigeons, by the homing of which from Mac- 

 quarie Island, and perhaps other high latitudes, news of the 

 progress of the ship could be conveyed to Australia or New 

 Zealand. Such an experiment might or might not be suc- 

 cessful. The intense cold might kill the birds, which might 

 also fall victims to the rapacity of the skua gull, the which 

 bird, or a closely-allied species, is abundant. 



Our colleague is anxious also that a balloon should be car- 

 ried on this occasion, for observational purposes where great 

 barriers of ice or precipitous rock would intercept views further 

 southward. Eecently French war-ships have used captive 

 balloons, when under way, for the purpose of securing the 

 view of an extended horizon, with some degree of success ; 

 and the experience thus gained might be utilised. He has 

 suggested, further, that, if Nordenskiold does come out with 

 his ships, Commander Foyn, the great Swedish shipowner, 

 should be invited to send out one of his whalers to keep com- 

 pany or to co-operate with the scientific expedition, though, 

 perhaps, not otherwise connected with it. 



Beport of the Committee, consisting of Mr. J. H. Maiden, 



Mr. b. Mc Alpine, Mr. C. A. Topp, Mr. F. Weight, ajid 



Mr. A. N. Pearson (Secretary) , xoith ijoioer to add to their 



number, appointed to investigate the question of Bust in 



Wheat. 



Before leaving Melbourne, Mr. Frederick Wright, of Adelaide, 



— who, at the general meeting of the Association, moved the 



resolution appointing the Committee, — called on Mr. Pearson, 



the Secretary to the Committee, and submitted a sketch of his 



