GENERAL CABLEGRAMS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2361, 18 January 1915, Page 6

GENERAL CABLEGRAMS

ByTelegraph-Preea Association-Copyright

JUSTICE TO A FORGOTTEN EXPLORER MAWSON JUSTIFIES ' MIRAL WILKES. (Rec. January 17, 2.10 p.m.) Washington, January 16. Sir Douglas Mawson, the Australian Antarctic explorer,, lecturing at the National Geographical Society, defended tho '■ achievements of Rear-Admiral Wilkes, the Antarctic explorer of 1840, who was court-martialled on allegations preferred by his fellow-explorers. Sir Douglas Mawson asserted that with few exceptions Rear-Admiral WilkeS had correctly mapped the Antarctic coast line. , The mistakes he made were due to. mirages.

Rear-Admiral Charles WITEes was ah. American naval officer and explorer. In 1838 he was appointed by Congress to command an exploring and surveying expedition in the-southern seas, the exploring vessels including the United States Bloops of war Vincennes and Peacock, the brig Porpoise, the storeship . Relief, and two tenders. With regard to the South Polar enterprise: Wilkes sailed from Sydney to the Antarctic in December of 1839, "arid subsequently reported, the discovery, on January 19, 1840, of an Antarctic continent west of the Balleny Islands. This was one. day before Dumont d'Urville sighted Adelie Land, about 400 miles further-west. That Wilkes,had really discovered an Antarctic continent was long doubted, and one of the charges preferred against him at a court-martial which tried him on his return (on'various counts, on all of which he was acquitted save that of illegally punishing the men of his squadron), was that ho had fabricated the discovery. Shackleton's expedition of 1908-1909, however, corroborated Wilkes. Portion of the Antarctic continent is named after him. WEST AUSTRALIAN MURDER CHASE SUSPECT SURRENDERS. (Reo. January 18, 0.5 a.m.) , Perth, January 17. Facheri, who is suspected of the murder of the girl Bell, was seen to leave a hotel twenty miles distant.from Marrinup, the scene of the crime. He was chased, and hid in a creek, but kiter surrendered. > He stated that he had been foodless for four days. MOB LYNCHINGSIN GEORGIA A DREADFUL OUTRAGE. By Telegraph—Press AeMoiation—Copyright (Rec. January 17, 2.10 p.m.) New York, January 16. A mob at 'Atlanta, in Georgia, broke into j;he gaol and captured two negroes and two negresses who were., charged with clubbing a police officer, and. hanged thorn to, a trod and riddled thebodies with bullets.

BANK OF VICTORIA (Red. January 18," 0.5 a.m.) ' Melbourne, January 17. The Bank of Victoria's profits for the half-year, ended December 31 total £88,000. Owing to the war and the drought a reduction of tho dividend rate from 6 to 5 per cent, was recommended. A.M.P. SOCIETY (Rec. January 18, 0.5 a.m.) Sydney, January 17. The new business of the A.M.P. Society during 1914, for the ordinary branoh, was over 6J millions, and for the industrial branch, £968,000. OBITUARY VICE-ADMIRAL SIR GEORGE ~ NARES. ~ ■ London, January 15. The death is announced of Vice-Ad-miral Sir George Strong Narcs, K. 0.8., F.R.S. ' Sir Gcorgo Nares was born in 1831, and entered the Navy in 1845. He commanded tho Challenger in 1873, and lod an Arctic Expedition in 1875-76. Prom 1879 to 1896 ho was Professional Officer of the Board of Trade, He was made a Vicc-Admiral in 1892, but had been on tho retired list for some yonrs boforo his death.' Tho object of the Challengor Expedition was to examino into the physical, 'chemical, geological, and biological condition of tho groat ocean basins, and.tho direction of their currents.