30 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' 



obviously necessary, it is possible to enumerate a host of 

 articles which, whilst we were equally forced to procure them, 

 will probably not have occurred to the ordinary reader. 



For instance, there were boatswain's stores, with rope, 

 canvas, and everything necessary for the refitting of the top- 

 hamper of the ship ; carpenter's stores, with all requisites for 

 work in that department; engineer's stores, including a vast 

 variety of articles ; ice implements of various kinds, explosives 

 for destroying the ice, guns and ammunition, and fireworks 

 for signalling. There were tobacco, soap, glass, crockery, 

 furniture, mattresses, and all such requisites for personal 

 comfort ; oil-lamps and candles for lighting, and stoves for 

 heating ; medicines and medical comforts ; a photographic 

 outfit; a library of many hundreds of volumes ; also a balloon 

 equipment ; canvas boats of various kinds, huts for our shore 

 station, instruments of many descriptions ; and so on almost 

 ad infinitum. 



It may be imagined that, large as this list of requirements 

 was, with the sum of 92,000/. there should have been no 

 financial difficulty, nor, indeed, was there ; but it has to be 

 remembered that of this large sum 51,000/. went to the 

 complete cost of building the new vessel, and it was necessary 

 to reserve more than 25,000/. for the wages and the contingent 

 expenses of the voyage. 



The sum which remained was sufficient to equip the 

 expedition in the most thorough manner, but it had to be 

 administered with economy ; and though I am now conscious 

 of many mistakes which were, made from lack of experience, I 

 think little money was wasted. 



On the whole the firms with which we dealt treated us with 

 great liberality, and supplied us with excellent goods. Many 

 took an especial interest in the expedition, and made a very 

 considerable reduction in the prices of the articles they 

 supplied. Whilst it is impossible to quote all the instances 

 of this nature, I take the opportunity of most gratefully 

 acknowledging three cases in which goods were supplied as an 

 absolutely free gift, and in which the donors took exceptional 



