2 
PHESIDENT’s AUDBESS — SECTION E. 
which the exploration of the greater part of Queensland was finished, 
and most of that vast area became mapped and claimed from the 
wilderness for settlements, many of the latter having risen already to 
villages, towns, and some even to cities, so that his honoured name 
will remain for ever identified with the w^hole wide colonial territory 
there. What this means within a single lifetime, is not readily grasped 
by our imagination. 
Prom the first half of our century, Australian coast explorations 
have been made by officers of the Royal Navy. Among these veterans. 
Captain Pasco remains among us as one of the oldest, the President 
of the Australian Committee for Antarctic Researches, and a Vice- 
President of the R. G. S. A., being a son of Nelson’s flag lieutenant 
in the “ Victory,” who hoisted the memorable signal, “ England 
expects every man to do his duty.” He served in Captain Owen 
Stanley’s expedition for the founding of the settlement at Port 
Essington in 1838, and afterwards shared in the famous survey 
voyage of the “ Beagle” till 1843, in the discovery of the Victoria 
River, which watercourse our President sixteen years later explored 
and mapped to its sources. Captain Pasco w'as among those who 
first rendered known and surveyed the Adelaide River, Port Darwin, 
Port Bynoe, the Albert River; subsequently as lieutenant he served in 
Bass’s Straits, where, as well as in the Gulf of Carpentaria, geographic 
monuments exist in his honour, his later naval career having been on 
the Borneo and China coasts. This brings vividly to our recollection 
the brilliant services of Admiral P. P. King, the son of one of the 
earliest governors of Australia, his explorations rivalling in importance 
those of Elinders, who in turn might be termed a second Captain Cook on 
the coast of the vast Queensland territory, the distinguished President of 
the oldest branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, the 
Honourable Ess. King, 5* as a naval lieutenant, accompanying him in 
some of his survey voyages. Another geographic Nestor claims our 
admiration, Admiral Sir George Richards, who surveyed about half a 
century ago on the New Zealand coast, prior to his filling the grand 
position, through many years, of Hydrographer to the Admiralty. 
Perhaps only one more remains living for our homage from among 
the gallant men who became historically immortalised by sharing in 
the early discoveries effected for geography during the present 
secular space of time — it is the last surviving officer of Sir James 
Ross’s Antarctic expedition, the illustrious phytographer. Sir Joseph 
Hooker, President of the British Antarctic Committee, who was one 
of the surgeons and naturalists of the “ Erebus.” These thoughts of 
great achievements of the past can best, perhaps, be brought to a close 
by one more word on Elinders, who remains so prominently identified 
with Port Phillip, w'here Mr. J. Shillinghiw, the son of one of the 
earliest secretaries of the Royal Geographical Society of England, is 
now writing from extensive authentic sources a full biographic account 
of the splendid services of the earliest successor of Dampierand Cook 
in Australian naval fame. 
AVe live in an island-continent of almost European expansion, 
surrounded by the free waves of three oceans, giving to the whole the 
same advantage of insular position which so largely contributed to 
the grand development of the British homelands on peaceful territory. 
We have not to encounter racial complications, because the transit of 
