viii INTRODUCTION.
and Captain Franklin’s party being, in addition, destitute of a conveyance
to a place whence it could return to Europe. To obviate these anticipated
difficulties, his Majesty’s government determined upon sending
a ship to Beering’s Strait to await the arrival of the two expeditions.
As this vessel would traverse, in her route, a portion of the globe
hitherto little explored, and as a considerable period must necessarily
elapse before her presence would be required in the north, it was
intended to employ her in surveying and exploring such parts of the
Pacific as were within her reach, and were of the most consequence
to navigation.
The vessel selected for this service was his Majesty’s ship Blossom,
of twenty-six guns, but on this occasion mounting only sixteen; and on
the 12th of January, 1826, I had the honour of being appointed to
the command of her. The following officers, most of them men distinguished
for their abilities, were placed under ray orders, viz.:—
L ieutenant,
Ditto ,
Ditto,
M a s te r , . .
Stirg eo n , .
F u r se r ,
A dm ira lty
Mates,
Midshipmen,
Ge o rg e Peard.
C Edw. Belcher, .5
^ a nd A s sista n t S urve yor.
Jo h n Wa inw rig h t.
Thomas Elson.
Alex. Collie.
G eo rg e Marsh,
r J . F. G o u ld *
< W illiam Smyth,
' Jam es W o lfe .
C John Rendali,
^ Richard B. Beechey.
N a tu ra lis t,
A s sista n t Surgeon,
Clerks, .
Volunteers, H i Class,
Ditto, . 2 d Class,
Gunner,
Boatswain,
Carpenter,
George T . Lay.
Thomas Neilson.
CJolm Evans,
( Chas. H . Osmer.
i John Crawley,
( J o h n Hockley.
C Edward Barlow,
( Charles Lewis.
John Richardson.
James Clarkson.
Thos. Ga rre tt.
To these were added such a number of seamen, marines, and boys,
as, with the exception of the supernumeraries, would form a complement
of a hundred and ten persons; but in consequence of the weakness
of our crew when collected, I was permitted to discharge ten of the
most inefficient; a reduction which, without sensibly diminishing the
strength of our crew, materially increased the duration of our stock of
provisions, and in the sequel proved of the most happy consequence.
* T h is valuable y o u n g officer was obliged to q u it th e ship a t R io Jan e iro on account of
his health.
The ship was partially strengthened, and otherwise adapted to the
service, by increasing her stowage. A boat was supplied, to be used as
a tender, and for this purjrose she was made as large as the space on
the deck would allow. She was rigged as a schooner, decked, and
fitted in the most complete manner, and reflected great credit upon
Mr. Peake, the master-shipwright of Woolwich dock-yard, who modelled
and built her.
To the usual allowance of provision was added a variety of antiscorbutics.
Cloth, beads, cutlery, and other articles of traffic, were put
on board; and two fowling-pieces, embossed with silver, and fitted in
the most complete manner, were supplied as presents to the kings of
the Society and Sandwich Islands. The College o f Surgeons sent
bottles of spirits for the preservation of specimens, and the Horticultural
Society enhanced our extra stores with a box of seeds properly
prepared for keeping.
The seamen were furnished with two suits of clothes gratis, and
W'ere allowed the further privilege of having six months’ wages in
advance.
In the equipment of all the expeditions of this nature it has been the
good fortune of the officers engaged in them to meet with the utmost
courtesy and attention to their wishes from the departments which have
the power so materially to contribute to their comfort; and I take this
opportunity of expressing my sincere thanks to Sir G. Cockburn and
the other Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to Sir Thomas Byam
Martin, and the Commissioners of the. Navy and Victualling Boards, for
the readiness with which they at all times complied with my requests.
Being in every respect ready, on the 19th May I received the following
instructions from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
“ By the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High
Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, &c. &c.
“ Whereas it is our intention that his majesty’s sloop Blossom,
under your command, should be at Eeering’s Strait in the autumn of
1826, and, contingently, in that of 1827, for the purpose of affording
h