Melby, British Antarctic Expedition

Scope and Content

  • MS 1313;D Diary kept during expedition, 6 January to 26 October 1900, holograph (Xerox)

Administrative / Biographical History

The British Antarctic Expedition 1898-1900 (leader Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink) visited the Balleny Islands and examined a large stretch of the Victoria Land coast making a landing at Cape Adare. A party of ten men wintered on the Antarctic mainland. When biologist Nicolai Hanson died there in 1899 he became the first to be buried on Antarctica. The expedition ship Southern Cross reached a furthest south of 78°21' in 1900 during her second voyage having wintered in New Zealand. Newnes Glacier, Victoria Land was named by Borchgrevink for George Newnes (newspaper proprietor) who funded much of the expedition.

Melby served on board Southern Cross.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Related Material

The Scott Polar Research Institute holds a number of photographs, film and other illustrative material in the Picture Library, some of which covers this expedition. The catalogue can be searched on line by going to the Picture Library Database and selecting the Enter Polar Pictures link.

The Institute holds several archival collections containing material regarding this expedition, see Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink, Louis Charles Bernacchi, Janet Crawford, Sir Clements Markham and Sir George Newnes.