EXPLORERS HONOURED.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13657, 28 July 1908, Page 2

EXPLORERS HONOURED.

SOL'i'H POLAR SiiA FORKC'AST

\ pleasant feature of ihe annivei'-ary meeting on Mav 25th of the Royal Geo-n-iaphical Society fit Burlington Hardens, London, was the presentation of the Royal medals for the encouragement of geographical science and discovery. ° Sir Geo. Goldie, president of the society. occupied the chair. Ihe founders medal was presented to Lieut. Boyd Alexander. whose notable feat ot exjijorat ion in Africa, is >.till flush in the jnnnory ol ihe public. " Colonel Delmelladcliffe was the reeipiont of the Murchison Award for liis important. wnk in .Uganda. The Gill Memorial went 1o Dv. Longstaff for exploring work done at his own expense in the Western Himalaya, and Tibet-, and especially, on his last expedition in ihe Garhwal Himalaya, when he ar>rended the summit of. Trisul. Lieul. Muiprk, R.N.. was awarded Ihe Bank Bequest, for survey work on the National Antarciic Expedition. and for his long-continued work in profiling the six sheets of Antarctic charts.

The Pa Irons' medal was won by the Prince of Monaco for his .studies ill oceanography. The f'r'nce was mil present to receive il, but if was announced that it would he presented to him .on his arrival in England some time in June. Rai Sahib Bam S.ingh. a native Indian surveyor, had the distortion of gaining the Ciuhbert Peek grant for 1903 for " excellent surveying work on the expeditions of Captain Deasv, Dr. Slein, Captain Bawling and Major Ryder." In his absence in Asia it was handed over on his behalf to a member of t.lie societv.

In his presidential address, Sir George Goldie, dealing whh the main feaiure ol' exploration during the past year, declared that perhaps the most notable event hart been the departure of the expedition under Lieut. Shackleton lor the resumption of work in the Antarctic regions. There was reason to believe, lie. added, that Mr .Shackleton would • soon be followed by other expeditions. Dr. Charcot would depart in August, to explore the region between King Edward VII. Land and Graham Land. l>r. Bruce was endeavouring, to obtain funds for a fresh effort, and other expeditions, it, was believe,l, were in contemplation. Major Leonard Darwin (the newlyr elected presiaen:) took the chair at. the anniversary dinner of the Royal Geographical iSocit.y at. the Hotel Metropole at night. 1 Lieutenant Boyd Alexander, in responding to the toast of '•'['he medallists," touched the hcans of the company by the pathetic rental k that, although he . had worked hard for the Founders' medal, if wae only gained at, the price of his lost companions.

Dr. Marconi, responding to the toast of "The gtu-sls," said that he had always been attracted by the work of geographers. Wireless telegraphy had compelled him to cross the Atlantic at least forty-two times to inspect cites for installations in out-of-the-way places, and in this connection he expressed the assistance he had received from geographical surveys. He hoped that in the future wireless telegraphy would help the glories of geographical science and keep explores in touch with civilisation.