THE BIIITISH ANTi^EOTIO EXPEDITION. 



WELCOME TO THE LEADER 



AND OFFICERS OF THE SOUTHERN 

 CROSS. 



A conversazione, given under the 

 auspices of the Royal Society of Tasmania 

 to Mr. Carsten E. Borchgrevink, F.R.G.S., 

 the leader of the Antarctic expedition pro- 

 moted by Sir George Newnes, Bart., and the 

 officers of the discovery steamer Southern 

 Cross, took place at the Town Hall on Friday 

 evening, Dee. 2nd, 1899. The welcome given 

 to the expeditionary party was brilliantly 

 successful. The hall was filled by 

 about 800 citizens, representing all 

 classes of society, and justified the com- 

 ment made by His Excellency the Governor, 

 that the gathering was the largest he had 

 ever prestded over in Tasmania. Most of 

 those present were in evening dress, and 

 the hall presented a brilliant appearance. 

 Probably not for many years past have so 

 many men, representing diverse opinions 

 and interests, been assembled on the same 

 platform in Hobart. The decorations of 

 the platform were queerand uncommon in 

 this part of the world, comprising as they 

 did snow shoes, skis, canoes, and 

 a variety of other articles of equip- 

 ment for a voyage poleward. The 

 table before the chairman was covered by 

 the Union Jack presented to the expedition 

 by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, 

 and which it is hoped will be hoisted on 

 some new territory in the far South, 

 secured as the latest addition to British 

 territory. Admission to the hall was by 

 card of invitation. The invited began to 

 arrive about half-past 7 o'clock, though the 

 hour fixed for proceedings was S. All the 

 arrangements were admirably carried out 

 under the direction of Mr. Alexander 

 Morton, the secretary of the Royal Society. 

 The seats in the body of the hall were 

 left in position as if for a public meeting, 

 and the refreshments were supplied in 

 the ante and committee-rooms when the 

 speaking had been concluded. Thus 

 inconvenience of any kind was ob- 

 viated. As the invited entered the 

 hall they passed between a pair of Finns 

 in the picturesque costume of their 

 country. His Excellency the Governor, 

 Viscount Gormanston, presided, and had 

 on his right Mr. Borchgrevink and 

 on his left the Mayor of Hobart (Alder- 

 man George Hiddlestone). Immediately 

 in front of the platform were seated 

 the Viscountess Gormanston, the Hon. 

 Ismay Preston, and Miss McKinnon. 

 Amongst those on the platform were Mr. 

 J. F. A. Rawlinson, Private Secretary to 

 His Excellency the Govenior ; the follow- 



ing members of the expedition :— Scientific 

 staff, H. Klovstad, M.D.; W. Colbeck, 

 R.N.R., L. Bernacchi, magnetic observers; 

 N. Hanson, H. Evans, zoologists; A. 

 Fougner, navigator ; Captain B. .Jensen, 

 and officers of the s.y. Southern Cross ; 

 Right Rev. Dr. Montgomery, Bishop of 

 Tasmania ; the Hon. A. T. Pillinger, 

 Minister of Lands and Works ; Sir Philip 

 Fysh, Treasurer of Tasmania ; Hon. D. C. 

 Urquhart, Attoney-General ; Right Rev. 

 Dr. Delany, Bishop of Laranda ; the Rev. 

 P. O'Rieliy ; the President of the Wes- 

 leyan Conference ; the Chairman of the 

 Congregational Union ; the Hon. Adye 

 Douglas, President of the Legislative 

 Council ; the Hon. Nicholas Brown, Speaker 

 of the House of Assembly ; Mr. J. G. 

 Davies, M.H.A., Chairman of Committees ; 

 Mr. Geo. Steward, Under-Secretary ; Mr. 

 E. C. Nowell, Clerk of the Legislative 

 Council ; Mr. J. K. Reid, Clerk of the 

 House of Assembly ; Colonel Legge, R.A., 

 Commandant of the Defence Forces ; Mr. 

 J. W. C. Hamilton, Town Clerk of Hobart ; 

 His Honor, Mr. Justice Mclntyre ; Rev, 

 George Clarke, Chancellor of the Uni- 

 versity of Tasmania ; Mr. J. B. Walker, 

 F.R.G.S., Vice-Chancellor of the Univer- 

 sity ; the Consuls for the United States 

 (Mr. A. G. Webster), France (Hon. W. H. 

 Burgess), Sweden and Norway (Mr. Jas. 

 Macfarlane), and the Netherlands (Hon. W. 

 Crosby) ; Hon. C. H. Grant, M.L.C., Presi- 

 dent of the Chamber of Commerce ; the 

 Acting-Master Warden of the Hobart 

 Marine Board (Captain J. W. Evans, 

 M.H.A.); Messrs. Bernard Shaw, P.M., 

 A. G. Webster, Russell Young, R. M. 

 Johnston, R. S. Bright, M.R.C.S.E., mem-' 

 bers of the Cauncil of the Royal Society of 

 Tasmania ; Alexander Morton, secretary 

 to the Roj^al Society of Ttismania ; Mr. F. 

 Back, General Manager of Tasmanian 

 Railways ; Mr. J. W. Israel, Auditor- 

 General ; Mr. E. A. Counsel, Surveyor- 

 General ; Mr E. Hawson, Secretary of the 

 Chamber of Commerce ; Mr. J. "Adams, 

 Secretary Hobart Marine Board. 



On the vice-regal party entering the hall 

 the large assemblage rose, and Mr. T. 

 .Julian Haywood, the city organist, played 

 the National Anthem on the organ. * 



The following is a i^recis of correspond- 

 ence read addressed to Mr. A. Morton, 

 Secretary and Librarian, Royal Society of 

 Tasmania : — 



Apologies from the Premier, Right Hon. 

 Sir E. N. C. Braddon, K C.M.G., P.C„ and 

 His Worship the Mayor of Launceston 

 (Alderman Sutton) were read. 



Government House, Hobart, October 16. 

 From the Private Secretary, intimating 

 that His Excellency Viscount Gormanston 

 would have great pleasure in presiding at 



