“Arctic Land Expedition” (p. 473-4)
ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.—A meeting of the subscribers to the fund for sending out Captain Back in search of Captain Ross to the frozen regions, took place yesterday at the rooms of the Royal Geographical Society in Regent Street, Sir George Cockburn, bart., in the chair, for the purpose of appropriating the residue of the subscriptions. The chairman stated that the cause of the delay in calling a public meeting before had been, that the committee were previously waiting for the accounts due to the Hudson’s Bay Company by the expedition. This had since been liberally foregone, as also the amount of £158 due to them for provisions, and other necessaries. A balance of £612 still remained in the hands of the trustees, which it was proposed partly to apply to pieces of plate to be presented to Captains Back, James Clark Ross, and Maconochie. For the former it was proposed to award the sum of £150 on account of his being more directly the servant of the subscribers, and to the two latter £100 each, that to Captain Maconochie on account of his zealous services as secretary to the fund. The balance it was also proposed to present to the Seamen’s Home, an institution of great merit, and to whose funds it would be of great service. Since coming into the room, a paper had been put into his hand, signed by eighty subscribers, who suggested the presentation of plate to Captains Back and Ross, and that the residue should be applied to the relief of the families of the crews of the distressed whalers, for whom, however, a very adequate subscription had been raised at the Mansion-house. The several proposals of the committee were agreed to, and Sir F. Booth, Captain Bowles, R.N., and Messrs. Baillie and Spence, were appointed a committee for carrying them into effect. Thanks were also voted to the governor and directors of the Hudson’s Bay Company, to Captain Maconochie, the Secretary, and the Chairman, after which the association dissolved.