Abstract
NATURALISTS will be glad to learn that a collection of natural history objects has been sent to England by our countryman Mr. H. O. Forbes, who has been doing good work on the Astrolabe Mountains in southeastern New Guinea. Unfortunately a lack of proper support appears to have greatly crippled the efforts of this energetic traveller, who. fears that he may be compelled to abandon his proposed expedition to Mount Owen Stanley, the ascent of which was the primary object of his explorations on leaving England. The disaster which befel Mr. Forbes at Batavia, where the boat with all his equipment for the expedition was capsized and everything lost, will be fresh in the recollection of our readers (see NATURE, vol. xxxii. p. 552), arid it is only by the utmost display of courage and energy, and by a large pecuniary sacrifice on his own part, that Mr. Forbes has been able to fit out an expedition to New Guinea from Brisbane. It is to be hoped that the great Societies of this country and Australia will not allow this expedition to come to an end for lack of funds. Mr. Forbes has shown what he can do in the cause of science, and a little timely help would now enable him to conduct the work of exploration on which his soul is bent and bring it to a successful issue. It is not generally known in this country that during his last expedition to the Malay Archipelago he expended more than 600l. of his own money in endeavouring to render his expedition more complete, and nothing but a little generous encouragement is needed to enable him to sustain the serious pecuniary loss which has befallen him in his attempt to reach Mount Owen Stanley. At the time of writing, we hear that there is a prospect of Australia coming to the rescue and aiding Mr. Forbes towards the attainment of his object, and we trust that England will also do something for a man who, as an explorer and a naturalist, has reflected credit on his country.
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SHARPE, R. Mr. Forbes's Expedition to new Guinea . Nature 34, 340 (1886). https://doi.org/10.1038/034340b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/034340b0