| RefNo | NLB/28/198 |
| AltRefNo | NLB/28 p108-109 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter from William Huggins and Clements Robert Markham, to Captain Robert Falcon Scott |
| Date | 26 January 1904 |
| Description | Written to await Scott's arrival at Lyttelton, Huggins and Markham send their congratulations to Scott and his officers on their return following their 'difficult and important service', and suggest that they enjoy rest and refreshment after their struggles. They convey their hopes that Scott has been able to maintain the health and spirits of the crew.
£500 has been placed at the Bank of New Zealand in Christchurch to allow Scott to pay the officers and men the advances to which they are entitled, and also provide provisions and other necessities.
They express their confidence in the efforts of Scott to release Discovery from the ice, and regardless of whether he returns with the ship or simply the 'records, collections and instruments' in the relief ship, they hope the scientific results of the expedition have been successfully attained. If the Discovery has been released then Scott is to advise them of the money necessary to refit and provision the ship for the return home, and he should then proceed with instructions laid out in their letters of June 1902 and 19 February 1903; a supply of coal will be ready at the Falkland Islands. If the Discovery had to be abandoned, the records, collections and instruments will be transported by relief ships or partly by mail steamer, with Scott to telegraph for further aid in the unlikely event that he finds the credit supplied insufficient.
Magnetic instruments will be compared at the Christ Church observatory, and they list the locations that observations on 'the term days' have been made, with the subsidiary observations distributed across the world with 'uniformity never hitherto obtained'.
Huggins and Markham await news of the safe arrival of Scott and his companions at Lyttelton. |
| Extent | 2p |
| Format | Carbon |
| PhysicalDescription | Typescript |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7376 | Huggins; Sir; William (1824 - 1910); astronomer | 1824 - 1910 |
| NA7951 | Markham; Sir; Clements Robert (1830 - 1916) | 1830 - 1916 |