Abstract
ON Friday last, Sir C. Wyville Thomson and other members of the Challenger staff were entertained at dinner in the Douglas Hotel, Edinburgh, by a large and distinguished company. Besides the civilian chief himself, the other members of the staff present were Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, Mr. J. Murray, Lieut. Balfour, Dr. Crosbie, and Paymaster Richards. The Lord Provost occupied the chair, the croupiers, as the vice-chairmen are called in Scotland, being Professors Huxley and Turner. The speeches were unusually happy and spirited, but we have space to give only a few quotations from that of Prof. Huxley in proposing the health of the scientific staff of the Challenger, and their director, Sir C. W. Thomson. After referring to previous Government expeditions for ocean exploration, Prof. Huxley pointed out that the peculiarity of the Challenger Expedition was that in her case the cruise became secondary and the scientific object primary; that she was, in fact, fitted up and instructed with the view of obtaining certain scientific data which were requisite for the further progress of natural knowledge. In her case the duty of geographical exploration was reduced to nil, and the duty of scientific investigation had become paramount.
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Dinner to the “Challenger” Staff . Nature 14, 238–239 (1876). https://doi.org/10.1038/014238a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/014238a0