91TV

21 June is Midwinter Day, celebrated by researchers in the Antarctic to mark the winter solstice. For those of us at the Royal Society, it seemed like the perfect time to launch our newly digitised .

This collection contains historical meteorological observations gathered by the Royal Society from across the world. Among them are records of the Antarctic climate, made during the famous Discovery Expedition of 1901 to 1904. The first of two Antarctic expeditions led by (1868-1912), this was jointly organised by the Royal Society and the  (RGS).

Since we were already digitising the Meteorological Archives, it seemed an ideal opportunity to add the Society’s manuscripts relating to the expedition, as well as the photographs taken by the explorers. These provide important context for the meteorological data and shed light on the organisational challenges the expedition posed to those back in England.

The , as it was formally known, was the brainchild of , who served in the Royal Navy and spent many years working as a geographer across various parts of the British Empire. A Fellow of the RGS since 1854, he became its President in 1893 and was determined to revive interest in polar exploration. Despite significant support and donations from the RGS membership, Markham recognised that his organisation alone couldn’t fund the grand expedition he had in mind. He approached the Royal Society to propose a partnership, which would expand the expedition’s scope to include scientific observations alongside geographical surveys, if the Royal Society was prepared to assist with fundraising.

Engraving of Sir Clements Markham from by Albert Markham (1917)

91TV agreed and helped raise further private funds, also securing financial support from the British Government. However, the two organisations did not quite see eye to eye on the expedition’s priorities. Markham’s interests lay in the geographical surveying and exploration of Antarctica, while the Society wanted to focus on collecting meteorological and magnetic data for scientific analysis.

A Joint Committee, consisting of Fellows from both Societies, was formed to resolve the issue of the expedition’s orders. The geologist , well known for his research on glaciers in Norway, had agreed to lead the expedition in late 1899, on the understanding that the scientific research would take priority. However, Markham was keen to appoint a certain Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott to lead the expedition and focus on geographical surveying. After a long and bitter argument among the Committee over the expedition’s remit, Markham’s view eventually prevailed and Gregory resigned in protest.

Gregory explaining his reason for resigning in a letter to Sir Alfred Bray Kempe, dated 24 September 1901 []

Scott and his crew departed England in August 1901 on board the Discovery, a ship purpose-built for the expedition. Many of the crew were sailors from the Royal Navy, though there were scientists among their number as well. Gregory’s replacement as scientific director was , Keeper of Botany at the British Museum of Natural History. Murray was allowed a mere few months’ leave from the Museum, and so could only accompany the expedition as far south as the Cape of Good Hope.

While on the voyage, Murray was tasked with instructing Scott’s men in the use of the scientific instruments which had been commissioned or collected to fulfil the scientific mission of the expedition. Unfortunately, his efforts were seemingly hampered by his unpopularity among the crew. After his departure, Scott wrote a scathing letter to Markham about him, warning him not to let Murray play any further part in the endeavour: ‘Murray’s executive capacity is very poor, and I feel sure that if he again gets a finger in the pie, he will make a mess of it’:

A relief ship was considered necessary to resupply the expedition at the end of 1902. Markham had purchased a second vessel from the expedition funds, the SY Morning, and a public appeal was made to pay for the necessary repairs, supplies and crew wages. The expectation was that the Morning would resupply the Discovery and both ships would return to New Zealand. However, there was concern that Scott might not return until the following year. Leonard Darwin, a member of the RGS Council, wrote to at the Royal Society, fearing that ‘I fancy old M [Markham] has an idea that the Discovery may, if Scott likes, be allowed to stay out another winter. I am inclined to think she should be ordered to come home’ [].

Crewman from the Discovery carrying out meteorological observations in Antarctica in 1902 ()

In the end, the Discovery remained encased in ice for the whole of the 1902-1903 summer. Without explicit orders to abandon the vessel, Scott chose to remain in the Antarctic, only sending back a handful of sick men with the Morning. Among their number was , who had been taken ill during Scott’s unsuccessful attempt to reach the South Pole. Funding another relief effort for 1903-1904 was a contentious issue. At Markham’s insistence, the Government was asked if they would cover the costs, to avoid the need for private funds to be raised for a second year running.

The Government was incensed by this. A second relief ship had not been mentioned when the initial funding had been agreed, and there was a strong feeling that the lives of Navy men were now being used as a bargaining chip for more funds. Both Societies were even . A delegation from the Royal Society’s Council met with Prime Minister in June 1903, pinning the blame firmly on Markham. This avoided a breakdown in relations with the Government but caused further tensions with the RGS.

Eventually the Government agreed to fund the relief effort. They took control out of Markham’s hands entirely and forced him to hand over ownership of the Morning to the Admiralty. Scott had no inkling of this dispute until the relief ships Morning and Terra Nova arrived in January 1904. Scott was clearly concerned that the affair might damage his reputation and was keen to paint the results of the expedition in as positive a light as possible. Scott needed the expedition to be seen as a success, as a negative reception could significantly impact his career and prevent him from leading future expeditions.

Letter from Scott to the Presidents of both Societies, dated 23 March 1904 []

The public response to the expedition upon their return was very positive and Scott was widely recognised as a national hero. In scientific circles, however, the response was far more mixed. Scott took particular umbrage with , Director of the Meteorological Office, over the publication of the expedition’s meteorological results. Shaw wrote the preface to the first volume of results, and highlighted numerous issues with the data and instances where instruments had been misused. Shaw’s correspondence with the Society reflects his view that pointing out these limitations was simply good scientific practice so that the data could be used effectively. Nevertheless, Scott took this as a direct attack on the expedition itself. The archives reveal a protracted argument between the pair, with the Society acting as intermediary [ and ].

The affair was never truly resolved, as Scott’s plans to return to the Antarctic gathered pace. In 1909, Scott turned his full attention to preparations for the . Scott agreed that the matter of the meteorological results could be resolved by including his remarks in the second volume, when it was published. But by the time these corrections were published in 1913, Scott had already met his end on his ill-fated journey back from the South Pole.

Top image: 'Ship in pack ice', by Louis Bernacchi, 6 January 1902 []