JUNE 29, 1899] 
lends itself to discussion, and many illustrations may be 
adduced in favour of the arguments on either side. 
It is gratifying to record that a national British 
expedition, well organised and excellently equipped, will 
be sent out to co-operate with the German expedition 
of 1901. That this expedition will be a purely scien- 
tific one is guaranteed by the fact that the organising 
body is a Joint-Committee of the Royal Society and 
the Royal Geographical Society, on which practical 
oceanographers and representatives of natural science 
are associated with the older generation of Arctic and 
Antarctic explorers. A responsible and representative 
directing body to which the choice of the leaders of the 
expedition can confidently be left is the first con- 
sideration, and this has been secured in the Joint- 
Committee. The first task of this Committee was to 
ascertain what resources would be available for carrying 
out the objects of the expedition. Three handsome con- 
tributions had been received—two of them from private 
individuals may indeed be termed magnificent—viz. 
25,000/. from Mr. L. W. Longstaff, 5000/7. from Mr. A. C. 
Harmsworth, and 5000/. from the Royal Geographical 
Society, while other subscriptions raised the total to 
40,000/. Representations to the Government had pro- 
duced no effect when the expedition was merely a pro- 
ject, but when Mr. Longstaff’s donation made it certain 
that a British expedition would be equipped, Mr. Balfour, 
the First Lord of the Treasury, agreed to receive a 
deputation on the subject. 
Accordingly, on June 22, a deputation waited upon Mr. 
Balfour at the Fereign Office, introduced by Sir Clements 
Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society, 
and including Lord Kelvin, Sir Joseph Hooker, Sir 
Leopold McClintock, ‘Sir Erasmus Ommanney, Dr. A. 
Buchan, Dr. R. H. Scott, Admiral Markham, Sir Vesey 
Hamilton, Sir W. White, Dr. Giinther, Prof. Ray 
Lankester, Sir Michael Foster, Prof. Ricker, Prof. G. 
Darwin, Sir William Crookes, and a number of members 
of the Councils of the two Societies. 
‘Sir Clements Markham, in introducing the deputation, 
laid great stress upon the scientific character of the pro- 
posed expedition. After bringing forward the historical 
argument of the interest taken by former Governments in 
polar exploration, and the value of navigation in those 
seas as a training for seamen and officers, he said (we 
quote the report in the Zzmes) :— . 
*Still the avowed object of Government expeditions was 
scientific research, The objects of the two societies were iden- 
tical. They were undertaking work which successive gener- 
ations of our statesmen and naval officers had looked upon as 
beneficial to the country and to the navy, and for this reason 
thought they had a claim on the Government for assistance. 
But further, some of the scientific results required were of imme- 
diate practical value. Indeed, «all scientific research became 
eventually, directly or indirectly, practically useful. Much of 
the Antarctic work would, however, at once be of use to 
navigation, especially as regarded the magnetic survey.” 
Sir Joseph Hooker, the last survivor of the great Ant- 
arctic exploring voyage of the Zyeéws and Terror, under 
Sir James Ross, supported Sir Clements Markham, and 
Lord Kelvin followed with the hope that all would be 
done to bring the enterprise to a triumphant issue. Prof. 
Ray Lankester spoke of the importance of the biological 
observations, and especially referred to the question of a 
bi-polar fauna as one likely to be greatly elucidated by 
the expedition ; and Prof. Riicker, in conclusion, pointed 
out how impertant the magnetic survey of the Antarctic 
area is. 
Mr. Balfour replied in a sympathetic speech, in the 
course of which he said :— 
“J, for my own part, fully recognise that if, as I think, 
expeditions to the poles of the earth, or towards the poles of 
NO. 1548, VOL. 60] 
NATURE 
203 
the earth, are eminently desirable, both on practical and purely 
scientific grounds, these expeditions are perhaps even more 
important when undertaken towards the Antarctic Pole than 
towards the Arctic Pole, for we certainly know much less at 
present about the Antarctic regions than we do about the Arctic 
regions, and the actual area of this unknown but immense 
portion of the earth’s surface is much larger in the case of the 
South Pole than in the case of the North Pole. . . . I, how- 
ever, should not be representing my own personal convictions 
—and I am speaking in this matter for myself—if I for a 
moment let it be thought that in my judgment the scientific 
investigations which directly, immediately, and obviously lead 
to some practical result are the only ones which it is worthy of 
a great nation to pursue. I take a different view based partly 
upon the scientific experience of the world. If our forefathers 
of the last two centuries—I do not mean men of British origin. 
alone, but I include the great French expeditions and other 
expeditions sent out during the last century and during the 
seventeenth century—had not carried on this work, it is manifest 
that our ignorance of the planet on which we live would be 
much more profound than it is at. present ; and it would not be 
creditable to an age which flatters itself, above all other ages, 
to be a scientific age, if without reluctance we acquiesced in the 
total ignorance which now envelops us of so enormous a portion 
of the southern hemisphere of our planet. For my own part, 
while I entirely agree with all that has been said upon the 
important facts and issues which may be anticipated from any 
expedition, I by no means limit my interest to such practical 
results. The things which we go directly to observe, and with 
every intention of observing, are doubtless of the highest import- 
ance. But I shall be greatly surprised if the expedition does not 
come across a great many phenomena which we did not expect, 
and which will throw a novel light upon many of the most import~ 
ant scientific theories, meteorological, geological, biological and 
magnetic. If this expedition is sent forth, as I hope it will be, 
adequately equipped at the date to our satisfaction, when we: 
shall be able to co-operate with the German expedition, in 
respect of scientific interest alone such co-operation must be 
valuable from every point of view, and it will, among other 
things, have the effect of strengthening, if such strengthening 
be necessary or possible, the cosmopolitan or international 
character of these sciences. . I am sure if the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer were here to-day he would tell you that, 
in so far as he could meet the wishes of the deputation, such 
action on his part must be regarded not as a reason for giving 
something more to some future deputation, but rather as a 
reason for giving less. But with that caution, which I feel 
bound to utter on his behalf, I think I should not arouse 
undue hopes if I say that the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
will find it in his power to give substantially to the great 
project which you have in hand. I do not say that the aid 
given will reach the limits of your largest wishes, but I hope and 
believe that it will be sufficient to enable us to send out this 
expedition in a manner not unworthy either of the great societies 
which have interested themselves in this matter or of those 
liberal members of the public who have subscribed out of 
private means to further the object which you have in view, and 
not unworthy of the country which has done more than any 
other country in the past to send forth expeditions similar in 
character to the one which you desire to send forth.” 
Nothing could be more satisfactory than Mr. Balfour's. 
view of the claims of research in pure science to public 
recognition, or his promise that a liberal grant to the 
Antarctic expedition shall be given by Government. It 
remains for the Joint-Committee to settle the plan of the 
expedition and to select the scientific leader on whose 
qualifications as a man of science and on whose freedom, 
of action with regard to the executive authority of the 
ship or ships the success of the expedition as a scientific 
enterprise will entirely depend. This choice cannot be 
made too soon, for the details of scientific equipment 
must largely determine the plan of the ship which has to 
be built ; and no one can be so well qualified to advise 
upon and carry out the preparations as the man whose 
reputation depends on the result of those scientific in- 
vestigations which every one of the promoters of the 
expedition has declared to be its exclusive object. 
