THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11104, 24 October 1901, Page 2

THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

ar -T if WELCOME TO THE DISCOVERY'S OFFICERS AND MEN. ■r --.

'i ] MEETING IN THE COUNCIL ,_j CHAMBERS.

" A meeting was held yesterday afternoon § at the City Council Chambers to consider T the question of entertaining the members i- of the British Antarctic Expedition, which it is expected to arrive at Lyttelton in the |- Discovery about the end of November. . There were about twenty citizens present, the Mayor, Mr A. _. G. Rhodes, presidd ing. Apologies were received from Mr P. •s Waymouth, 2dr J. T. Smith, and Dr.. '- Thomas. T The Mayor explained' the result of bis j interview with tho Premier on tbe subject j and. the steps taken by the Lycteitoi. Borough Council in tne matter. He though'the cifciaens of both, G*bri!stehu-reh and Lyt telton should have an opportunity of shta* X ing their appreciation of the spirit' whicl animated tho Expedition. It was jm<» '.. posed to entertain the members of the Ks ) pedition and the officers and crew of tl>... c Discovery at a converazione, and on thei i a departure to have an escort of steamer:- J He suggested ■that the Premier should b. j (- communicated with to obtain permission | from the Admiraifcy to have all the war- j ■, ships _t New Zealand waters -at Lyttelton I 0 on tha occasion of thoeend-«£f to the Ex- j h pedition. ■ d A General Committee was elected, cong eisting of the following:—Tbe Mayors of c Christchurch and Lyttelton, the chairman a of the Lyttteltor* Hasrbonr Board, the mem- i c ' bers of Parliament lor Christchurch. ssrd c suburbs, Captains Whitby and Mu_ro, s Messrs S. R. Wehb, I. Gibbß,_Hon. C. C. ; v Bowen Captain Huttori, Christchurch City ] •J Councillors, Messrs C. Hood Williams, G. Tombs, & Manning, B. Struthers, J. ConnaJ, P. Campbell, John Anderson, A. H- ' Turnbull, C. C' Fair, Frank Graham, A. j :" Kaye, and Dr. Chilton. . ' j The fo_owi_g gentlemen were appointed .■• ? an JSjecutive: —Tho Mayors of Christchurch j y and Lyttelton, the chairman of tbe Lyt- j telton Harbour Board> Captain Button, Dr.-i '" Chilton, Hon. C. C- Bowen,' Messrs A." a. Kaye, Frank Graham, A.. H. Turnbull, C. g O. Farr, and R. Scott, t Mr Kaye stated that the date of the 1 arrival o| the Discovery was uncertain, - but the date of her departure was, -he understood, fixed for December 14th. • , Mr Fait sajd he knew very little about - the movements of the Discovery,, but from b what be Remembered of a letter ho had g seen from Sir Clement Markham she was expected to be in the ice pack about the - middle oi December* sothat she would s leave Lyttelton before December 14th. b After her arrival at Lyttelton there would p be a week or ten days' scientific work to i be dpno. There was no question, lie re- , marked, of the scientific importance of the . Expedition, which was ■unique, as never , before iv the history of the world had , four expeditions acted in conjunction with j each other towards the same object. The form, that the citizens' entertainment should take was some length. ' Mr Turnbull thought that arrangements should be made for the continuous enter- ' tainment of the members of tho Expedition . during their stay. *Mr Kaye was of opinion " that some opportunity 'should be given for ' the members to describe in speeches the 5 nature of the undertaking. Captain Hut- * ton,' president of the Philosophical Instift tufce, stated that fcliat body intended' enter- * taining the members of the Expedition at * a garden party in Christ's College grounds. ' Ultimately it waa decided that tho citizens' entertainment should take the form of a "conversazione in Cbristchuroh on a date to be fixed, and of a send-off at Lyttelton on the departure of the Discovery. '. It was also decided to communicate with i the Premier asking him to get the men-of- ■ war in New Zealand waters» to be in Lyt- * telton Harbour on the date of the sendloff.