Proceedings, (^'C, for 1886. 275 



PROGEESS REPORT OF THE ANTARCTIC EXPLORA- 

 TION COMMITTEE OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY 

 OF VICTORIA AND OF THE ROYAL GEO- 

 GRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA 

 (VICTORIAN BRANCH). 



The Antarctic Exploration Committee presents below its 

 first Progress Report to the members^of the Royal Society of 

 Victoria and of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. 



Since the appointment of your Committee in June last, it 

 has held eight meetings ; five at the Town Hall, Melbourne 

 — on the 10th June, 15th July, and the 10th and 30th 

 November, 14th December, 1886 ; one on 21s b January, 

 1887, at the Observatory; and on 28th January, 1887, and 

 1st February, at the Athenaeum. 



The first meeting was occupied with preliminaries, and in 

 determining the course of action to be pursued. In conse- 

 quence of resolutions passed at the second meeting, a 

 memorandum of the desirable objects to be served by 

 Antarctic research was printed and ci}'culated. Copies were 

 forwarded to the Premier and the leading papers, and to the 

 Governments and scientific societies of neighbouring colonies. 

 Others were sent to the secretary to the Antarctic Committee 

 of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and 

 to other influential persons; and the Hon. the Premier, with 

 whom your Committee had an interview on the 4th August, 

 was good enough to telegraph to the Agent-General in London 

 on the subject, and to express himself favourably to the 

 enterprise generally. That telegram appears to have aroused 

 immediate attention among persons in Europe interested in 

 whaling, fee, for several communications were received by 

 the earliest mail from London, Peterhead, Dundee, and 

 Sandefjord in Norway, offering information, advice, personal 

 service, and steam-whalers for sale or charter. From most of 

 the Governments of the adjacent colonies and their scientific 

 societies replies were received, expressing approval of the 

 project, and a general inclination to contribute to its execu- 

 tion, the most cordial being that from Tasmania. From 

 Adelaide was received an offer from Mr. Clement L. Wragge, 

 formerly of the Ben Nevis Observatory in North Britain, 

 to accompany gratuitously any scientific expedition as 

 meteorologist. Another offer to command a whaling or 



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