,,3
2 Cruise o f the A le r tP
places which were not formerly of importance. The South Pacific
portion of our survey was to be mainly in connection with the
recently acquired colony of the Fiji Islands, and was to be devoted
to an exploration of the eastern passages leading to this group,
with an investigation of the doubtful dangers reported in the
vicinity of the great shipping tracts. Finally, on completing the
above, and arriving at Australia, we were to spend a year and a
half, or thereabouts, in surveying the line of reefs which fringe
its whole western seaboard, the ill-defined position of which is
a serious obstacle to the now extensive trade between Western
Australia and the Dutch islands of the Malay Archipelago.
The latter part of the orders was subsequently changed, inasmuch
as we were directed to omit the survey of the western
shores of Australia, and were ordered instead, on completing the
North Australian work, to proceed to Singapore, in the Straits of
Malacca, to refit. Thence we were to return home by the Cape
of Good Hope, stopping on our way at the Seychelle.s, Amirante
Islands, and Mozambique, in order to fix astronomically the
position of the Amirante group, and, as opportunities occurred, to
take a line of soundings off the east coast of Africa.
The vessel selected for this special service was the Alert, a
man-of-war sloop of 751 tons measurem.ent and 60 horse-power
nominal ; and the command of the expedition was given to Capt.
Sir George Nares, K.C.B. By a happy coincidence the same stout
craft which had already done such good service in the Arctic
Expedition of 1875-6, and which bears the honour of having
attained the highest northern latitude, was selected as the ship
in which Sir George Nares was now about to proceed on a
voyage of exploration in high soiUhern latitudes. She was officially
commissioned on the 20th of August, wfith a complement
of 120 officers and men, her equipments including apparatus
for conducting deep sea sounding and dredging operations, and
a miscellaneous collection of instruments not usually supplied
to H.M.’s ships.
Object o f the Voyage. 3
It being the wish of the enterprising hydrographer of the navy
■— Captain, now Sir Frederick Evans, K.C.B.— that the opportunities
which this expedition would afford of making a valuable
natural history collection in regions little known to science should
not be thrown away, and Sir George Nares warmly seconding him
in this wish, the Admiralty determined on appointing as surgeon
an officer who, in addition to his duties as medical officer of the
ship, would be inclined to devote his spare time to the cause
of natural science. Sir George Nare.s, knowing my fondness
for natural history, with characteristic kindness gave my application
his support, and I had therefore the good fortune to be
appointed as medical officer of the Alert, on the understanding
that (so far as my medical duties permitted) I would not lose
sight of the advantages which rvould accrue to science from a
collection of natural-history objects illustrative of the fauna and
flora of the countries visited in the course of the voyage.
During the four years over which my narrative extends, many
changes took place in the personnel of the expedition. Scarcely
a year had elapsed from the date of our departure from England,
wflien we had to regret the loss of Sir George Nares, who left us
at Valparaiso, and returned to England by mail steamer, in order
to enter upon his duties as Director of the Marine Department
of the Board of Trade. We were fortunate, however, in having
as his successor Captain John Maclear— formerly of the Challenger
exploring expedition— to whom I take this opporcunity of expressing
my thanks for the unvarying kindness which I have always
experienced at his hands, as well as for much assistance and
encouragement in the prosecution of our zoological work.
The following is a list of the officers:—
Captain Sir George S. Nares, K.C.B., F.R.S.; succeeded by
Captain joh-n Maclear, F.R.M.S.
Lieut. George R. Bethell ; succeeded by Lieut. James Deedes.
Lieut, the Hon. Foley C. P. Vereker; succeeded by Lieut.
George Rooper.
Sr.H
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