From William Potter¹    10 December 1892

Baron Sir. F. Von Mueller, K.C.M.G. F.R.S., M.D. &c &c.

Sunday, December 10th 1892.

My dear Baron —

As Sir George Dibbs was good enough to send me a Railway Pass for the Blue Mountains tour I left Sydney on Saturday and travelled as far as Lithgow then returned to Wentworth to visit the Falls. It is my intention to return to Sydney by the 6 a.m. Train to-morrow, in order that I may interview the Hon. Dr Norton and other members of the Council before the meeting takes place on Tuesday. The weather is delightful.

I deemed it wise to telegram you to write to the Hon. Mr King² and the President, because a timely word from you might stir them up to activity. Sir George³ at once admitted the difficulties that beset the Antarctic Committee, and the danger of the vote being lost if it should have to come before Parliament again. He told me (but this is strictly inter nos) that if the information I had given him were officially brought before him, he should cancel the vote. Personally he did not regret Baron Nordenskjold's withdrawal, and thought the Committee should resolve to send out an Australian Expedition.⁴ I mentioned to him the statement of Mr Crummer that it would be sharp practice and deceiving the Government to take Mr Reid's money⁵ to make up the Geographical Society's subscription, and he laughed at it. He read me the conditions of the Government grant, namely that the £666 was to be collected from private sources. The treasurer (Mr Crummer) had only to show a voucher of the money having been collected, it mattered not to the Government who from or how, and the Grant would be paid over to Trustees named by the Geographical Society.

So you will see, my dear Baron, the difficulty of my position. If I should say to the Council here that the vote would be cancelled should an official communication be put before the Minister that Baron Nordenskjold had withdrawn, then some one antagonistic to the expedition or to the Victorian Society may at once get a question on the subject put in Parliament.

On the other hand, if I hold my tongue on the subject, the hostility to Victoria of some persons here, who profess that there is no such hurry for getting the money out of the Government, as I assert, then the very delay may prove fatal to the Societys interest, and the matter be brought before the Government through the press. For that reason I have kept away from all newspaper offices and Pressmen this visit.

At the Council meeting on Friday, I may as well inform you (in addition to what I wrote to Mr Macdonald) that Mr Crummer spoke bitterly against what he called Victorian interference, as if they in Sydney were not able to manage their own affairs. You may depend upon it that I did not let that misstatement go unrefuted. I showed the necessity laid upon the Antarctic Committee to state publicly, before long, what it intended to do with the moneys already collected seeing that the Swedish-Australasian Expedition had been abandoned, and also that the committee had all along carried on direct communication with the Governments of Australasia. As in Victoria, every one had to get away to catch his train, so the meeting was hurried through. After the meeting Mr Crummer and Mr Mann made arrangements for me to dine with them at the Australia on Tuesday at noon. We appear to be on the best of terms. I pressed him very earnestly to make an effort to get a good meeting on Tuesday, and share in the glory of getting an Antarctic expedition out into the field. He said he would do all that he could, but he must have a month in which to collect before he touched Mr Reid's money. I pointed out that future co-operation would be endangered if the present available vote were lost through his views of a Victorian taint on money prevailing with the Society. Victorian geographers took broader grounds, and while they would not let the matter of Antarctic Exploration drop, because of a rebuf, the Committee would no doubt by and by make an independent effort.

When we meet at dinner on Tuesday (and I shall have seen several of the members of the Council privately by then) it is my intention to see whether or not Mr Crummer cannot be induced to move a resolution in the Council something to the following effect:— "That having heard the Statement of the Hon. Secretary of the Antarctic Committee, it is hereby resolved — (a) That all the funds raised in New South Wales for the Antarctic expedition be placed in the hands of Trustees in trust for Antarctic Exploration. (b) That the sum required to claim the Parliamentary vote be at once collected and the Premier be asked to pay over the vote to the Trustees appointed by this Council. (c) That the following gentlemen be appointed Trustees: Messrs. — — — — — — — — — — — — (d) That this Council believes it would be wise to fit the Antarctic Expedition out under the English-Australian flag, should sufficient funds be available."

Mr Crummer thought there was not any necessity to detain me for the Council meeting but I said the Antarctic Committee had incurred the expense of my visit, and it would be far more satisfactory to the Committee that I should wait and take back a direct answer to enable the Committee to have a basis for further and prompt action. I presume that I shall leave here (Sydney) on Wednesday morning). It is too expensive to stay long. Sir George desires to be kindly remembered to you. I believe he will write you a short note.⁶ I will do my utmost to succeed,

Yours devotedly

Wm. Potter.