Beschreibung:

Papers of Louis 'Bunny' Bernacchi, physicist on Scott's Discovery Expedition, comprising: (i) autograph letter signed by Clements Markham to Bernacchi, with signed continuation, asking him to arrange to have supplies shipped to the Discovery ("...I have just received a telegram that the 'Discovery' arrived this morning all well, but that, owing to the delay, Captain Scott intends to proceed direct to Lyttleton [sic], without touching at Melbourne... Dr Gregory has a sum of £700 belonging to the Expedition Fund, to have huts made at Melbourne. See if they have been ordered and are ready... You have my authority to draw on the credit given to Capt Scott at the Bank at Melbourne. There will be a very large accumulation of letters for the 'Discovery' at the Melbourne Post Office. You should see that all letters are sent on to Lyttleton by the first opportunity... You should yourself proceed to Lyttleton with the stores. You will have the instruments in your special charge... The dogs, I trust, have long since been sent from Melbourne to Lyttleton..."), on headed National Antarctic Expedition paper, 4 October 1901; (ii) group of four shipping notes for goods to be supplied to the Discovery at Melbourne, as per Markham's letter above, including one for scientific instruments by Negretti & Zambra ("...In accordance with your instructions at our Regent St house, we constructed two small Thermometers 0o/-15o C, and sent them to Kew. When the Authorities returned them, we discovered to our regret that our foreman had pointed them 2o wrong, and as we did not wish such thermometers, which would have been practically useless to you, sent out, we have made two more. As you will understand, the time did not permit us to send them to Kew for verification..."), 17 September to 13 November 1901; (iii) two autograph letters signed by William Colbeck, to Bernacchi and his brother Roderick, about Bernacchi's To The South Polar Regions, Expedition of 1898-1900 (1901), describing the Southern Cross Expedition on which they both served ("...our late esteemed (?) chief has been slating Louis & I for all he is worth over in Norway...") and looking forward to their being reunited on the Discovery Expedition, on which he hopes to be appointed to command the Morning ("...such a bally old wreck, she looks as tho' she'd stand anything. I have heard nothing definite with regard to my going out in command of her, but I hope to secure the appointment & to meet you all in the Sunny South before long..."), one envelope addressed to Bernacchi at the Observatory, Melbourne, 26 September and 23 October 1901; (iv) two autograph letters signed by Bernacchi to his brother Roderick in Sydney, NSW, on Discovery paper ("...A lady here... is making me a most beautiful silk sledging flag... 4ft long, at the base the navy flag, white with red cross, the other part a dark blue with the constellation of the 'Southern Cross' in the centre... underneath a Maori motto meaning 'Seek, seek, & ye shall find' I trust it will fly over the magnetic pole & further south than hitherto attained... Some ladies have decorated my cabin on board which is the one next to Capt Scott & which is now a dream of luxury & comfort... Scott is an able man & is immensely popular..."), 15 and 22 December 1901; (v) two exceptionally long autograph letters signed by Bernacchi to his parents, on Discovery paper, giving a detailed account of his penultimate and last winters in Antarctica, including his Barrier sledge journey, the scientific achievements of the expedition, his editorship of the South Polar Times and the relief expedition ("...All these shorter journeys were done without dogs as also the long western journey of 56 days under Lt Armitage. Each man having something like 200lb to drag. This is the old Arctic style & a heartbreaking one it is. Capt Scott, with Dr Wilson & Lt Shackleton set out on their long south trip on November 2nd... Shackleton was reduced hors-de-combat & from their farthest