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Press, 20 February 1979, Page 19

A china plate (top left) from H.M.S. Erebus and a candle holder (below centre) from Captain Scott’s Discovery are among rare relics that have been given to the Canterbury Museum’s Antarctic collection.

The plate is the oldest Antarctic relic the museum has, and probably will have, says the Antarctic curator (Mr D. L. Harrowfield). It came from the ship Erebus used in the British Antarctic Expedition, 1839 to 1843, led by Sir James Clark Ross.

The plate, inscribed with the name of the ship, was presented to the mu-

seum by Miss B. Bird, a descendant of Senior Lieutenant E. J. Bird, who took part in the expedition and later became an admiral. Miss Bird also gave an original message from her forebear to officers of the Antarctic expedition, an ornately carved gold snuff box (bottom left), and a set of four volumes on Cook’s Voyage, published in 1787.

The Gimbal candle holder, the first authentic part of Scott’s ship found by the museum, is another exciting aquisition, Mr Harrowfield says. The holder has the words “Discovery, National An-

t a r c t i c Expedition,” engraved on it. It had belonged to C. Reginald Ford, a Steward who took part in Scott’s first expedition, 1901-1904, and who later became a prominent architect in Auckland. The holder and a miniature Polar medal (bottom right) were given by his widow. Other relics acquired by the museum include 18 union jacks from the British Southern Cross Antarctic Expedition. 18981900. They were given by Dr Elliot Dawson, of the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute at Wellington.