40 REPORT — 1839. 



On the 29th of November the Committee again waited, by ap- 

 pointment, on Lord Melbourne, and the Chancellor of the 

 Excheouer being now present, the nature and extent of the 

 equipments of the fixed observatories, and of the scientific de- 

 partment of the proposed naval expedition, were more particu- 

 larly entered into, reference being made for the general views 

 and principles of the project to the memorial above copied, and 

 a further memorandum was handed in, stating more expressly 

 the instrumental and other requisites for the undertaking, and 

 an estimate, founded on the best judgment the Committee 

 were at that time enabled to form, of the probable expense of 

 the fixed observatories, which they M'ere led to rate at about 

 2000/. for each observatory, exclusive of chronometers and tran- 

 sit instruments. 



To the representations of your Committee on this occasion 

 every attention was paid ; nor did they experience any diffi- 

 culty in the way of stating their views in the fullest and 

 amplest manner, in a less formal and official mode, either to 

 these or other members of Her Majesty's Government, and in 

 particular to Earl Minto, to whom it was especially requisite 

 that the views of the Association relative to the naval expedi- 

 tion should be clearly developed. To these various representa- 

 tions, for a considerable time, no definite reply was received. 

 Meanwhile the President and Council of the Royal Society, no 

 less impressed than this Association with the great importance 

 of the subject, had deputed a Committee of their own body for 

 the purpose of making a similar application. And your Com- 

 mittee have great satisfaction in being enabled to state, that, 

 aided by the warm and zealous exertions of the Marquis of 

 Northampton, who, whether in the chair of the last mentioned 

 illustrious body, or of this Association, has on all occasions 

 shown himself active in promoting every great scientific object, — 

 these concurrent representations have been attended with their 

 full effect^ that every point suggested in the resolutions on 

 which this report is founded has been ordered to be carried 

 out into full execution, and every observation recommended 

 provided for by Her Majesty's Government in the most 

 ample and liberal manner. And that, probably at the very 

 time when this report will be read to the Association, two 

 ships, the Erebus and Terror, will be already on their voyage 

 to the Antarctic Seas, under the command of Captain James 

 Clark Ross, carrying with them every instrument requisite for 

 the complete and effectual prosecution of these important re- 

 searches, and having on board the complete establishments, 

 both personal and instrumental, of the fixed magnetic observa- 



