The Antarctic Letters, written from the British Antarctic ex...

Hammer

£2,600

The Antarctic Letters, written from the British Antarctic expedition of 1901-1904 Sir Clements Markham KCB FRS FRSGS (President of the Royal Geographical Society) (1830-1916) Letter 7 30th June 1904 To: Mrs Waymouth From Sir Clements Markham (President of the Royal Geographical Society) Written from: Eccleston Square, London On headed notepaper. No envelope. One sheet folded into four pages, one and half pages filled. “The ‘Discovery’ and ‘Morning’ left Lyttelton on the 8th of June and ought to reach Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands in about 5 weeks. Leaving Port Stanley in the middle of July, the ‘Discovery’ should be here in the middle of September. The voyage used to take a sailing ship two months. Captain Scott will probably touch St. Vincent or Madeira where he will telegraph the date of his arrival here.” Note: The geographer, explorer and writer Sir Clements Robert Markham was born in Yorkshire in 1830. In 1844, he entered the Navy as a cadet, and in 1850, joined the British naval Franklin search expedition from London, 1850-1851, as midshipman on board HMS Assistance under Captain Erasmus Ommanney. The expedition was sent by the Admiralty to search for Sir John Franklin's missing Northwest Passage expedition by way of Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. In addition to discovering Franklin' winter quarters in 1845-1846 on Beechey Island, the expedition conducted extensive coastal surveys and observations of topography, geology, fauna and meteorology. It was this experience that turned Markham to exploration and the study of scientific geography. He retired from the Royal Navy in 1852. In 1854, Markham became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and started work at the East India Company, afterwards the India Office. He travelled to Peru to collect the cinchona plant, the source of quinine and cure for malaria, and then went to India to found the local quinine industry. In 1863, Markham became Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, a post he held for the next twenty-five years. He was President of the Society from 1893 to 1905 and was knighted in 1896. Markham turned his interests to the revival of British Antarctic exploration. He had already played a prominent part in the campaign to obtain official approval for the British Arctic Expedition, 1875-1876 (leader George Strong Nares), one of the aims of which was to reach the North Pole. He then went on to devote much enthusiasm and energy to the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904, selecting Robert Falcon Scott as leader of the expedition. His interest and enthusiasm for exploration and geography continued right up to his death on 29 January 1916. He is justifiably considered to be responsible for the revival of British interest in Antarctic exploration, and was the driving force behind several important expeditions, and the career of Capt. Scott. He is commemorated by Mount Markham in the Transantarctic range, discovered and named by Scott on his southern march during the Discovery expedition in 1902. From the estate of the Lamorna artist Eleanor Hughes, née Waymouth, thence by descent. Mr & Mrs. Frederick Waymouth and their family lived in Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand, in their grand home 'Karewa' now known as 'Mona Vale,' an important historic homestead. Mr Waymouth, a successful businessman, was the managing director of Canterbury Frozen Meats, and with his wife Alice, were prominent members of Christchurch society. The 'Discovery' docked in Lyttelton, the port for Christchurch, on 29th November 1901. The Waymouth family entertained members of the expedition in their beautiful home 'Karewa' and Frederick Waymouth also provisioned them with supplies. On December 21st, after a three-week stay in New Zealand, the 'Discovery' set sail and headed south for Antarctica. The correspondence that followed their visit is a testament of affection towards Alice Waymouth, and the warmth and hospitality she showed them is gratefully reflected back in the light-hearted conversational nature of these letters even when discussing the hardships of extreme cold and being locked long-term within the ice pack. In the introduction to his account of the 1901 expedition ‘The Voyage of the Discovery’ Robert F Scott writes about the kindness his team received from the people of New Zealand. He goes on to list nine men who provided particular assistance and this includes Frederick Waymouth. “In considering such general kindness it is almost invidious to mention particular names, but the following gentlemen are among those who must be especially remembered by us for the manner in which they were ever ready to assist us: His Excellency the Governor Lord Ranfurly, the Premier Mr Sedden, the Hon. C C Bowen, Captain Hutton of the Christchurch Museum, Mr Kinsey, Mr Waymouth, Mr A Rhodes, Mr Coleridge Farr of the Christchurch Observatory and Mr H J Miller of Lyttelton.” Further information in our blog