714 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
John Murray. Professor Thompson, as you are aware, was the 
British Delegate on the Behring Sea Fisheries, and was recently 
made a C.B. in recognition of his service. 
Mr Mack ay Bernard, one of our Fellows, merits the thanks 
of all interested in meteorology in Scotland, by preventing, through 
a liberal donation of ,£500, the closing of the Ben Nevis Observa- 
tories. 
One of our Secretaries, Sir John Murray, in conjunction with 
other scientists, has zealously urged on Government the desir- 
ability of undertaking an antarctic expedition in the interests of 
science, and on other grounds ; or, at least, of co-operating in such 
an undertaking by national subscription. Considering what addi- 
tions to our knowledge in geology, natural history, meteorology, 
and other departments of science may confidently be looked for 
from an exploration of the vast and almost unknown antarctic 
region ; and considering also what obviously special claims such an 
enterprise should have on Great Britain as the first naval and 
maritime power in the world ; it may well be regretted that the 
efforts of Sir John Murray, and of those who have co-operated 
with him, should have been hitherto unable to overcome the vis 
inertice of the Government. 
Possibly the Government may have had satisfactory reasons of 
a temporary kind for its decision, and if so, let us hope that it 
may reconsider it. Possibly it may have been influenced by the 
humanitarian consideration of the danger of loss of valuable life. 
But even that consideration, worthy of all respect as it is, may 
have an exaggerated weight attached to it; and further, it is, I 
believe, quite certain that the risk of loss of life in such an expedi- 
tion as that proposed is very much less than it was not many years 
ago. Besides, ought not a government or national expedition to 
reduce unnecessary risk to a minimum, and be a guarantee that it 
would be conducted by the best attainable men — men known to 
be courageous without being foolhardy. Would the Government 
impartially re-consider its decision it could hardly fail, I think, to 
come to the conclusion that the balance of reason and of true and 
patriotic policy is distinctly in favour of the view urged on it by 
the scientists. 
Although Sir John Murray, however, has not got things his own 
