OFF TO THE ANTARCTIC.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8411, 10 January 1899, Page 4

OFF TO THE ANTARCTIC.

THE DEPARTURE OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS. JL'he Southern Cross, with her band of intrepid explorers, left Hobart on her voyage towards the South Antarctic on Saturday afternoon (says the Hobart Mercury, of December 19). It is many years eince the departure of a vessel from a Taamanian harbor, or an Australian one, for that matter, has aroused such widespread interest. When some years ago the contingent left Sydney for the Soudan the outgoing vessels were keenly watched by thousands, but the interest on that occasion centred more in the departing soldiers than in the cause which drew them forth. A different sentiment, however, was manifested in the sailing of the Southern Cross. Notwithstanding the kindly feeling evinced towards the adventurous men who were prepared to brave the many dangers and privations of an unexplored land, the greater amount of enthusiasm was displayed in the mission upon which the hardy Norsemen were embarked. The difficulties and dangers attending the task devolving upon the pioneers of an unsettled land cause many a heart to lose hope before victory is achieved, but the innumerable obstacles that beset the pathway of an exploring party mean the abandonment of more than nope ; lives are frequently sacrificed before the end in view is accomplished. And the loss of life is not always a guarantee that the labors of an expedition will bear finit. Sir John Franklin and his faithful followers were decimated by the frigid blasts of an icy waste without attaining the end that lured them from comfort and civilisation, and others equally intrepid have paid a similar penalty without enriching the world by their trials and privations. And it is the measure of uncertainty attaching to the mission of the Southern Cross that impelled the timid to shudder, and the more courageous to reflect, when watching the vanishing outline of a vessel entering upon an enterprise of a nature that has been so prolific of disaster in the past. To reflect upon the possibilities of failure lying ahead of those on board the outgoing vessel necessarily imparted a solemnity to the farewell ceremonies. During the brief time that the leader, Air Borchgrevink, and his party have been in , Hobart, they have become most favorably' known, and a large number of people were on the wharf on Saturday morning to bid the explorers farewell. Admission to the vessel was obtained by card, and many persons had secured these passports in order to be present at the farewell Church of England service held on hoard. Shortly after 11 o'clock Dean Kite, Archdeacon Whitington, Canon BanksSmith, Canon Shoobridge, Canon E. T. Howell, and a surpliced choir boarded the vessel. As the choir sang the hymn, "Oh God our help in ages past," the noisy exclamations of the animated crowd became silent, and many joined in the singing. A prayer was then offered up, followed by a Psalm, after which a lesson was read. Archdeacon Whitington then delivered a short address, as follows : — " My brothers, — We come to ' wish you good luck in the name of the Lord,' and we are so thankful that you feel— as we certainly do— that the fitting climax to all the sympathetic interest which Tasmania has been trying to express to you lately is that the blessing of the glorious God who ' comniiindeth the waters should be invoked on this expedition before you leave this, your last port of call. You are going, my brothers, upon a splendid enterprise, though into a veritable. unknown country; but I want to remind you that what is unknown to man is well-known to Him who ' holds the waters in the hollow of His hand.' Every craig and ice-plain of the— to vs — mysterious regions for which you are now setting out is scanned by the Allseeing eye of our Omni-present God. Well, let that recollection be a strength and a stay to you. Remember that he has told us by the Psalmist that His ' way is in the sea, and His paths in tho great waters * ; and by His Prophet He said to His people ot old : ' When thou passeth through the waters I will be with thee.' Do you remember how Mungo Park tells us that when he was at the point of perishing in Africa, the sight of a flower made him think that the God who put heauty in such solitary places could never be far off, and in the strength of this conviction the great traveller strnggled on to a place of safety V We pray you to keep in mind that the God of the flowers is the God of the ice and snow to which you are , going. You will not forget, too, how, under the shadow of the Almighty's hand, Abraham went forth into a strange land to found a great nation ; how to the lonely Jacob in the desert was vouchsafed the vision which told him of God and the angels being at hand in the untrodden tracks of the earth ; and how it was only Paul, the faithful servant of God, who could bid the terror-stricken crew to 'be ..of good cheer' in that Mediterranean! Btorm. It is our common human brotherhood under One Eternal Father which moves us thus to bid you look to God for guidance. But we can claim a closer kinship with you. Whilo we rejoice to note that the adventurous spirit of the old Norseman breathes in yon, their sons, we glory, too, in the memory that something of the Norse blood has passed into our veins through onr English ancestors, and we are ready to testify with gladness that in the proud position of England upon the seas to-day we seethooutcome of the temper which was brought to the island home of our forefathers by the men who came from the far north of Europe. It is that temper which is urging you on to the high purpose which you have set before you, and which will stimulate yon in the day of difficulty by the reflection that difficulties are the rocks which have ever strewn tho pathway of noble achievement. Whatever may be the measure of your achievement, we are confident that you will do and dare bravely, and, as my last word, I desire to give you the assurance to carry with you on this momentous voyage that 'midst the many prayers which will surely follow you, we, in our beautiful Litany, as week by week we offer it to God, will often, silently, specially commend you to Him when we pray, ' That it may please Thee to preserve all that travel by land or by water.' " Pean Kite then offered a prayer. The hymn " For those in peril on the sea " was next sung, and the service concluded with prayer. Dean Kite then called for three cheers for Captain Borchgrevink and his party, which were heartily given. When the vessel was leaving the wharf in the afternoon another large crowd had assembled, who heartily cheered tho explorers. The men on the Southern Cross gave three cheers for Hobart, and several shots were fired from the ship's guns as she steamed down the Derwent. The vessels in the harbor dipped their flags, and the Master Warden instructed the Battery Point signalman to hoist the following signal :—" Farewell and a prosperous return."