[The president of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Sir Samuel Davenport, has been requested to wait upon the Premier to ascertain what assistance the Government are likely to give in the matter of further Antarctic exploration, in connection with which enterprise several colonies have intimated their willingness to subscribe. Baron von Mueller has communicated with Sir Thomas Elder, asking him to head a South Australian subscription list, which he has done with a sum of £100.
The matter will come before the next meeting of the council of the Geographical Society1 on Tuesday, when that body will be requested to take the question up with energy.2]
South Australian Branch.
See also M to A. Magarey, May 1891 (in this edition as 91-05-00). A deputation led by Sir Samuel Davenport met the Premier, Thomas Playford, who was also the Treasurer, on 27 May, asking that £1000 be granted toward the cost of an expedition proposed to be sent out under the command of Baron Nordenskjold. 'The Treasurer in reply said that a year or two ago this matter was brought under the attention of the Government, and they said that they did not intend to subscribe. Quite recently his attention was directed to the subject by Baron Von Mueller, who strongly urged upon him the claims of the expedition. There was probably no man in Australia who could more vehemently press these claims than the noble Baron, and when he told the deputation that the Baron gave him two solid hours talk on the subject they could imagine that he (the Treasurer) was pretty well acquainted with the fact of the case.' The treasurer argued that there would be little benefit to the Colony, except perhaps cheaper whale oil and bone. The request had been discussed in Cabinet, and was refused, as '£1,000 … could be expended in various other ways for our own benefit' (South Australian register, 28 May 1891, p. 3). The Register, in its comment, said of Playford's decision, 'There will be plenty of small economists in the province to applaud the resolution he has arrived at, but the stand he has taken does not rebound to his credit as the head of Government or to the honour of South Australia' (p. 4).
Playford visited Victoria in early May (Age, 2 May 1891, p. 8), and met M then (South Australian chronicle, 30 May 1891, p. 9).
See Home et al. (1982) for a discussion of Australia proposals to explore Antarctica.
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'The proposed Antarctic exploration', Age, 14 May 1891, p. 5.
Please cite as “FVM-91-05-00c,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on