THE VICTORIAN ERA 
189 
voyage ; but took no action until the British Association, 
at last fully committed to the enterprise, had taken the 
decisive step. At the Newcastle meeting of the Associa- 
tion in August, 1838, Captain Washington had read a 
paper on Antarctic Discovery to the Geographical Section 
(which that year had an independent existence for the 
first time, though many years elapsed before it met again) 
in terms very similar to and in parts identical with the let- 
ter of A. Z. It is not likely that it produced much effect 
on “ Her Majesty’s Parliament of Science,” as some one 
christened the Association at this its first meeting in 
Queen Victoria’s reign ; because the Association through 
its Council had already decided to act, and had drawn up 
a full and sufficient expression of the demands of the lead- 
ing scientific men of the day. A committee consisting of 
Sir John Herschel, and Professors Whewell, Peacock and 
Lloyd was appointed to lay before Government a 
memorial embodying the resolutions passed by the As- 
sociation. This memorial was the charter of the expedi- 
tion which resulted from its adoption and we may quote 
the three most important resolutions it contained: 
“ Resolved, 1. That the British Association views with 
high interest the system of simultaneous magnetic obser- 
vations which has been for some time carried on in Ger- 
many and various parts of Europe, and the important 
results to which it has already led; and that they con- 
sider it highly desirable that similar series of observations, 
regularly continued in correspondence with and in ex- 
tension of these, should be instituted in various parts of 
the British dominions. 
“ 2. That this Association considers the following lo- 
calities as particularly important : Canada, Ceylon, 
St. Helena, Van Diemen’s Land, and Mauritius, or the 
