EMINENT EXPLORER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22225, 27 September 1935, Page 13

EMINENT EXPLORER

DR. BERTRAM THOMAS AUTHORITY ON ARABIA VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WELLINGTON, Thursday " The whole history of the human race may be explained by the history of Arabia; I do not think Arabia has any industrial or commercial future, but it will remain a reservoir for men, and it is still one of those dormant human volcanoes which occasionally erupt," said the noted explorer and authority on Arabia, Dr. Bertram Sidney Thomas, who arrived at Wellington by the Wanganella from Sydney yesterday, accompanied by his wife.

In tho winter of 1930-31 Dr. Thomas performed what the Times described at the time in a leading article as "the greatest feat of exploration in modern times." He crossed the great South Arabian Desert, a journey of over 800 miles, on camelback, through the unknown. He did it as a lono European with no companions, apart from the wild and unusually hostile natives, the denizens of the desert. He did it at his own time and expense, unaided by funds or grants from any organisation*. For four months he explored at great personal risk of death from violence or thirst, and so achieved the first crossing of this desert by a white man and fulfilled tho ambition that both Sir Richard Burton, translator of " The Arabian Nights," and the late Colonel T. E. Lawrence had themselves cherished. Valuable Discoveries Made This journey had to be done in secret, Mr. Thomas dressing and living as an Arab nomad. Besides mapping an area as big as New Zealand during this and three previous journeys in and about this virgin desert, a name of terror to the Arabs throughout Arabia and the last considerable part of tho earth's surface to remain unknown, many valuable scientific discoveries were made. New tribes were found of a different racial origin from Arabs, four new Semitic languages were recorded and some 30 new forms of animal life were discovered. Dr. Thomas knew the late Colonel Lawrence. " His death was the passing of a very great figure from the Arabian stage," he said in an interview on board the Wanganella. In referring to his experiences Dr. Thomas said that no man went to Arabia without dressing as the Arabs did. " I admired their camels," he said, " and I grew a beard. An Arab swears by his beard, and if you have not got a beard how can you swear?"

Recent Visit to China

Dr. Thomas recently had a distinction conferred on him when he was invited hv the University of Harvard, United States, to deliver the Lowell lectures there this year. From America Dr. Thomas went to China and was in Peking about three months ago when, to put it in his own words, "Some disgruntled soldiers started shelling the place." They had apparently received no pay for six months. Dr. Thomas crossed China from east to west, a 1500 miles journey, and went up the Yangtse Valley shortly after floods had drowned 250,000 Chinese, but that was a very small number in a valley in which there lived one in 10 of tho human race. Dr. Thomas then went to Australia and gave lectures in Sydney. Dr. Thomas was born in 1892 and I was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a research student and Fellow Commoner of Trinity College and president of the Cambridge University Anthropological Club. He was in the British Civil Service from 1908 to 1914. From 1914 to 1915 he was in the ranks of the North Somerset Yeomanry in Belgium and from 1916 to 1918 he was in the Somerset Light Infantry in Mesopotamia. Political Posts Held Dr. Thomas was political officer in Mesopotamia from 1918 to 1922, assistant British Representative in TransJordan from 1922 to 1924, and Vizier and Finance Minister to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman from 1925 to 1930. Leading geographical societies have conferred on him their highest honours. He has written two books, "Arabia Felix," to which Colonel Lawrence contributed the preface, and "Alarm and Excursions in Arabia."

The explorer was met on the Wanganella by Dr. P. Marshall, president of the Wellington Philosophical Society. He left last' evening for Dunedin and will give lectures in the main centres of the Dominion. That at Wellington, 011 his return North, will be lielcl under the auspices of Victoria University College and the Philosophical Society, which is the local branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand.