PLACE NAMES OF THE PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS

VOORSITTER SE JAARVERSLAG

(Uittreksels uit die 1967/1968 jaarsverslag van mnr. A M.

Venter, uitredende voorsitter van die Suid-Afrikaanse Antarktiese Vereniging.)

Die Suid-Afrikaanse Antarktiese Vereniging is sewe jaar gelede gestig met die docl om persone met 'n gemeenskaplike belang in Antarktika en Sub-Antarktiese Eilande saam te snoer in 'n vereniging waar Antarktiese nav01·sing, logistiek, menslike aan- passing en so meer bespreek kan word. Lidmaatskap tot ons vereniging was en is nog teeds oop vir aile ouderdomsgroepe sander enige verpligting van oorwintering of verblyg op Antarktika.

Die kern van die vereniging moet egter gevorm word deur persone wat die voorreg het om op Antarktika of die eilande te werk, en te lcef. Dit is hierdie persone se kennis en ervarings wat vir die Vereniging oorgedra word na die mede-lede en ook die publiek om sodoende reklame te maark vir ons navorsingswerk. As ·n mens na die lys van ingeskrewe lede van die \ereniging kyk, is dit opvallend hoe baie buitestaanders- die persone wat nog nooit op Antarktika of op ·n Sub-Antarktiese Eiland was nie- aan die Vereniging behoon, maar helaas, dit is ook pynlik opvailend om op te merk hoe min oud-SA AE-ekspedisie lede se name op hierdie lys verskyn. Die komitee sou graag sien dat rneer oud-ekspedisie- lede ak tier deelneem a an die Vereniging.

Gedurende die afgelope jaar het die Vereniging twee keer vergader. Mnr. John Pitts, nuusredakteur van Tlte Stnr het kleur skyfies vertoon en lewendige kommentaar gelewer oor sy besoek aan SANAE gedurende 196611967. By die daarop volgende ver-

gadering het ek self ·n praatjie gclewer oor die moontlike gebruik van radio-aktiewe isotoop kragbronne op Antarktika (Ant. Bull.

1o. 24). Die komitee het vyf keer vergader om sake rakende die dinee, die toekenning van die medalje ens. te bespreek.

Die midwinersgroete en kersgroete is soos gebruiklik aan SANAE en ander Antarktiese basisse gestuur.

M~n. GRAF OOSTHUJZE~

Die heengaan van mnr. Graf Oosthuizen wat baic aktief gemoeid was met die Antarktie e navorsings program. was 'n groot skok viral die Jede van die Vereniging. Die Vcreniging het medelye met sy eggenote en kinders bctuig.

DJE SULD-AFniKAAi\'SE--BELGIESE SO\IIEn EKSPEDISJE Aan die einde van verledejaar is ·n nuwe era in ons Antarktiese navorsing ingelei toe die SA AE ekspedisie en 'n aantal Belgiese geoloe ·n geslaagde gesamentlike somer ekspedisie onderneem het.

Dit was ook die eer te keer dat die SA AE ekspedisie lugvervoer tot hulle beskikking gehad het.

Dit was vir my 'n voorreg om die afgelope jaar saam met 'n baie toegewyde komitee te werk. Aan hulle alma! wil ek dank betuig en die bestuur vir die volgendejaar aile sukses toe wens.

PLACE NAMES OF THE PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS

By SILVESTER

L. CRO ZET These two islands, wh ich a re now under the juris-

diction of the Republic of South Africa, were discovered by Capta in M. Marion- Dufresne o n 13th Jan ua ry, 1772.

Marion. the larger of the two. is some I 2 mil es long from East to West and about even miles wide at its greatest breadth. Jt cul minates in an alm ost centrally located peak. the su mmit of which

rears

itself to a height of 4,200 feet above sea level. Prince Edwa rd, its neighbour, lie nearly I 2 miles N E of Marion and has a c ircum- fe rence of almost 15 miles. This island also terminates in a peak much lower than that on Marion, rising on ly to an elevation of 2.370 feet.

l

n Schedu le o . 1 the names of places on Prince Edward are tabulated and, with the exception of two of th ese, the re mai nde r are of geographical nomenclature.

SCHEDU

LE ?\o. l

Cave

Bay:

A cave in a perpendicular rock face which stretc hes ac ross the head of the bay.

East C

ape

: Geographical designation.

High Btun·: Geog raphica l designation.

North-west Cape: G eograph ica l designation.

Ross Rocks:

James Cla rk Ross, who was later elevated to th e kni ghthood, first sighted these isla nds on 1 2th December, 1776.

32

South Cape : Geographical de ignation.

West Point: Geographical designa tion.

T he derivation of place names o n Marion Is la nd makes far mo re intcre ting reading than do those of Prince Edward

fsla

nd. as the details in Schedule No.2 indicate.

SCH ED U

L

E No.2

Alpha Kop: A name given to a survey beacon which was erected du ri ng 1 948 a nd which has been retained.

Boot Rock: So called on account of its resemblance to a Wellington Boot.

Cape Crozier: amed by Captai n J ames C lark Ros in 1 840 after Captai n Crozier, who was in charge of the second ship Terror wh ich was under former's command on his voyage of explora tion of the Antarctic.

Cape Davis : After Sub-Lieutenant Samu el Davis of the fr iga te S.A .S. Natal which took over duties from the g uard s hip S.A .S. Transraal o n the annexation of the islands in 1947.

Cape Hooker: De ignated by Captai n

James Clark

R oss after th e botan is t Sir J oseph D. H ooker, of the Antarctic Expedition of 1840.

C

rawford

Bay: As igned to chart of the island by Alan B.

Crawford, who made a survey of it in 1 948.

.\1arion lsland.

Map: Dr. \V. J. Vcrwocrd, Ant. Bull. No. 13.

Ouiker's Point: The Duiker is a species of a cormorant which frequent this area.

East Cape: Geograph ical desig nation.

Fred' s Hill : After Fred Swain, o ne of the six Tristan islanders who acco mpanied the occupation party. He erected the sur vey beacon on th e top o f t hat hill when the isla nd wa urveyed in 1948.

Gamma Kop : Eminence o n which a sur vey beacon was erected during 1948. th e na me of which has been retained.

H alfway Kop : This is a knoll half-way between the mcteo rlogieal station and Ja n Smuts Peak.

Jan S muts Peak : amed after Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Mini ster of the Unio n of South Africa in 1947 when th e isla nds were annexed by that country.

M cMurray's Kop : Sub-Li eut enant A. C. Murray was o ne of the party from S .A .S. Transraal who remained o n t he island when this sh ip sai led on her return to Cape To wn.

Macaroni Rocks: The Macaroni is a species o f pengu ins which make their ho me in thi s area.

Mari on Island: On 12th December. 1776. Captain James Clark Ross visited thi s i land whil e making his last voyage in the ships Resolution and Discover y. He claimed this island and its neighbour, Prince Edwa rd, for Great Britain and named them Prince Edwa rd l slands, after th e fo urth son o f the reigning monarch of England. Thi s was the Duke of Kent who was to be the fath er of Queen Victo ria. On Ross' return to England he heard th at the islands had already been

33

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WJV. 1965

discove red by Marion-Dufresne in 1 772 and thereon gave the name of Marion to the larger of the two islands, wh ich was the fi rst o f the two

to

be discove red . Na tal Bank : amcd after S.A

.S.

Natal. which was the

first vessel to sight and chart the bank.

Ned's Kop : Appellation by Alan B. Crawford after Ned Green, another of the Tristan islanders who accom- panied the Sou th African occupation party and who assisted with the survey of the island.

Paddy Rock: The Paddy arc a species of sheath bill which freque nt thi s loca lity.

Solglimt Blinders: The sca ler S.A. Solgliml. under Captain Rcc. fo undered at this point du rin g October

1908 and was lost.

Shi p's CoYc : The remains of the Solglimt arc still to be seen here.

Transvaal Cove: Th e S.A .S. Transvaal was one of the ships whic h too k part in the annexation of the islands in 1947.

Trypot Beach : Here. partly embedded in the sa nd on the beach, is a large disused cast iro n whalerman's trypot, wh ich was at o ne time used fo r rendering down blubber. The remains of this pot still exist.

Of the 1 9 pl ace names on Mario n Island, it will be see n that fou r of these are of South African o rigin. whi le several have been

mad~,;

after geogra phical featu res.

De pite th e insti tution of enquiries at the offices of

th e Adm iralty Hyd rographer, London a nd the Mini stry

of Marine, Paris. no in forma tio n could be unea rthed as

to th e o rigin of the name Aldebert Reef.