Norwich bulletin., 1921-05-14

At recent meeting of the Royal Geo. graphical Society the organization and equipment of the Mount Everest expe- dition, which it Is expected will be col- lected in Darjeeling in the early part of May and begin the preliminary work of the ascent on May 14, were discussed by members of the expedition and of the committee having this matter in charge and addresses made at this meeting were reported in the Geographical Journal for April l, from which the extracts which follow are taken:
 Lieutenant Colonel Nr Francis Young husband, president of the committee. stating the object of the expedition, said that for thirty years at least, that is since General Bruce first put forward the idea, men have had the ambition to ascent the highest point on the earth. It is a very natural and praiseworthy ambition that General Rawling and many Of the Alpine club have entertained it. Lord Curzon also intended to further this ambition and suggested, when he was viceroy of India, that this society and the Alpine club should. take the matter up together. And the advantage that will come from ascending Mount Everest Is this-that once the highest
 
 up courage to ascend all manner of other mountains. Even to the obtuse mass of humanity it will then be evident that men are capable of higher achieve ment than they had ever imagined.
 As to the advantage of mountain climbing in general Frenchman a few days ago bore striking testimony. Speak ing in London at the Institute Fran cais M. Leon Berard, minister of public iT1d tryIn fAp &r1I I,E- II shared with Chateaubriand dislike of mountains. but that the example of the English cured them of their prejudice and revealed to them in new way the beauty of their country. By going in among great mountains, climbing them, getting to know them thoroughly. enter ing into their spirit, there are beauties to be found in mountains of which the plainsman never dreams So the ascent of Mount Everest, by stimulating noun tain climbing in general, will bring more beauty to light. And beauty is one of the worlds greatest riches
 Outlining the plans Colonel Howard Bury. chief of the expedition, said that while the main object IS the ascent of Everest, there are many important sub, sidiary objects to be attained. The whole country to the north of Everest is com. pletely unknown. The maps we have are all very problematical, and wher you see range of mountains marked in the map you may find t is a valley or lake.
 "The government of In-iia," Color e, Bury said, ''has given us the loal of two officers of the Survey of India, both accustomed to mountain survey, and with them we shall have to work and map the whole of that country to the north of Everest, as well as the Noun, Everest group; this alone would furnish a full summers work. With these off cers will be assistant surveyors and 8 great deal of work has to be done The Arun valley is probably quite wrongly mapped, and we are very doubtful as | to the extct position of those ranges o1 l mountains marked to the north of Ever i est. The draftSman who compiled th' map told me they were put in to fill up ''We have a good bontanist and natural 1 ist and there is every probability of oul 1 discovering many new flowers but tha very much deends on how tar the mon soon currents penetrate up the AruI i alley. It is extraordinary on these dr, | plains, which look so barren in th1 1 photographs, what beautiful flowers ther l are-most lovely rock plants, blue pop | pies, primulas and all kinds of delight 1 full flowers. There Is also the geological work. We are probably getting eithe | an officer or assistant from the gov ernment of India for making a geolosi cal collection. We 'knoT there are :; | large number of animals ID the=e. Yol sheep in the world possibly an antelope certainly a gazelle and cartridges, an | there is a great field for naturalist Some of the members of the expedition | are leaving very soon and we all hop | to collect in Darjeeling in the midcl 1 of May and to leave by the 1tth.
 ''The government of India Is K'ndl 1 giving us the loan of 100 mules for tn l expedition. This will be If the vel, l greatest assistance 10 us. and we knU7 now we shall have no difficulties vii
 the transport Lord Ronaldshay. tn l governor of Bengal, is extremely inter 1 ested in the expedition and We are 'uclI | in having him there. Colonel O'Conno
 is political agent in Slkkim. and h
 duties carry him right ID iatD Tibe1
 He was with Sir Francis Youughusbar
 in the expedition of 1894. There is
 very elaborate photographic equipmcr l going out with the expedition, so tha
 we hope to bring back many record: 1 Unfortunately the camera cannot It 1 produce the extraordinary beauties C
 color there are in Tibet-greens and red
 and orange under a brilliant blue clea sky"
 The leader of the mountain party Harold Raeburn. believed that while th 1 mountaineering difficulties were grea they could be overcome by careful orgar
 ization of the transport service Cir
 tinuing he said:
 "Noone has ever seen the real ar
 breaches to Everest, because its lowe
 slopes have been always concealed b
 the shoulders and slopes of it's migh'
 neighbors I do not think the mortimer