Geographical Society

ever-popular "balloon" and racialism have featured as this term's talkingpoints.

At a light-hearted level the balloon debate was probably the high-spot of the term. Messrs Napoleon Bonaparte, Matt Busby, George Whetstone, Harold Wilson and Jim Bleach entertained the Society as they desperately tried to avoid ejection. Such matters as Napoleon's reasons for saying "Not tonight Josephine", the invention of the ball-point quill, production of hot air and George Brown produced a hilarious evening. The debate reached its thrilling climax as George Whetstone, a three-foot high circus strongman, hung on (by his seven-foot arms!) to beat an exhausted Harold Wilson by a mere two votes.

On a more serious plane, the final debate on a motion advocating the separate development of the white and coloured races as the most practical course for the forseeable future, showed some of the latent talent of the Society. The proposition, R. E. Hardie and I. M. Macleod, brilliantly defended what proved to be an indefensible position. It was perhaps unfortunate for them that after fighting off the opposition's charge of apartheid several speakers from the floor stood up and supported the motion because they supported apartheid. P. J. Shannon and R. St. G. Houghton produced their usual capable performances and there were some explosive scenes on the floor leading to the chairman's threat to eject several members.

Finally I must announce the departure of Richard Hardie, this term's President, and express the Society's deep and lasting gratitude for his long and devoted service. We are sure that he will prove an asset to any university debating society and wish him all possible success in this field. Just as this magazine was going to press the Society learnt, with shock, of another departure, that of Mr Cummin as Master-in-Charge. In one way and another he has been associated with the Society for longer than anyone now here can ,remember and under his careful eye generations of skilled debates have arisen. His encyclopaedic knowledge of procedural matters, his never-failing ideas for motions and his keen wit at meetings will be sadly missed. We wish Mr. Exham luck as his successor.

R.W.J.D.

A meeting was held on 15th October at which a talk was given by Mr. Nigel Hancock, an Old Peterite who is reading Geology at Oxford. His subject was the Oxford Expedition to Methana, 1967, of which he was secretary. His main theme was the work done on the geology of the volcano Kameno Voceno, which last erupted in c. 250 B.C.—an event described by Strabo—but included something for everybody : travel, human geography, archaeology. The talk was illustrated with over 80 colour slides and made an enjoyable and informative occasion for the considerable number present. But perhaps what interested us most was the mpunting, conduct and life of an expedition like this, and by the end many felt that the speaker had had a most enviable experience. 36