MEMOIRS OF HYDROGRAPHY INCLUDING B rief Biographies o f the Principal Officers who have Served in H.M. NAVAL SURVEYING SERVICE BETWEEN THE YEARS 17 5 0 and 1885 COMPILED BY COMMANDER L. S. DAWSON, R.N. i i nsr TWO PARTS. P a r t I .— 1 7 5 0 t o 1 8 3 0 . EASTBOURNE : HENRY W. KEAY, THE “ IMPERIAL LIBRARY.” THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 8251.70 A ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS R 1936 L Digitized by PRE F A CE. ♦ N gathering together, and publishing, brief memoirs of the numerous maritime surveyors of all countries, but chiefly of Great Britain, whose labours, extending over upwards of a century, have contributed the I means or constructing the charted portion óf the world, the author claims no originality. The task has been one of research, compilation, and abridgment, of a pleasant nature, undertaken during leisure evenings, after official hours spent in duties and undertakings of a kindred description. Numerous authorities have been consulted, and in some important instances, freely borrowed from ; amongst which, may be mentioned, former numbers of the Nautical Magazine, the Journals of the Royal Geographical Society, published accounts of voyages, personal memoirs, hydrographic works, the Naval Chronicle, Marshall, and O'Bymes Naval Biographies, &c. The object aimed at has been, to produce in a condensed form, a work, useful for hydrographic reference, and sufficiently matter of fact, for any amongst the naval surveyors of the past, who may care to take it up, for reference—and at the same time,—to handle dry dates and figures, in such a way, as to render such matter, sufficiently light and entertaining, for the present and rising generation of naval officers, who, possessing a taste for similar labours to those enumerated, may elect a hydrographic career. Accounts of discoveries made in the course of Arctic Exploration, have barely been alluded to, the majority of these, having been chronicled, in a far abler manner, by an eminent geographical authority. The chronological order adopted, refers to the period at which the several officers commanded surveys, or contributed most towards hydrography. The Appendix deals briefly with a few subjects connected with hydro­ graphy ; and the Index, at the end of the book, will perhaps be found useful for purposes of reference. With the exception of Captain Thomas Hurd, portraits of the various occupants of the post of hydrographer to the Admiralty are given ; in his case, no likeness appears to have survived, and it has been with no small difficulty, that any record of his naval services could be lighted upon. Digitized by L ^ o o Q ie P re /a u . To the ambitious, it may be well to remark, that of the Royal Naval officers services herein enumerated, but few have risen to active flag rank, and only one, or two, ever hoisted their flags. In formulating the works, memoirs, or biographies, of the dead and living alike, the endeavour has been made to deal with all in an agreeable, and unprejudiced tone, so that no single individual shall find his suscepti­ bilities in the slightest degree ruffled, either on his own behalf, or on the part of any, towards whom, he may cherish feelings of admiration, esteem, or affection. By those whose nearness or easiness of access, enable them to form an accurate judgment, many will be found, neither so detestable, not so admir­ able, as perhaps they may be thought by opposite parties. The truth is well expressed in the fable of “ The Clouds." Two children once, at eventide, thus prattled by their parents’ side :— See, mother, see that stormy cloud ! what can its inky bosom shroud ? It looks so black, I do declare, I shudder quite to see it there. And father, father, now behold these others, all of pink and gold ! How beautiful and bright their hue ! I wish that I were up there too : For, if they look so fine from here, what must they be when one is near ! Children, the smiling sire replied, I’ve climbed a mountain’s lofty side, Where, lifted ’mid the clouds awhile, distance no longer could beguile : And closer seen, I needs must say that all the clouds are merely grey ; Differing in shade from one anotner, but each in colour like his brother. Those clouds you see of gold and pink, to others look as black as ink ; And that same cloud so black to you, to some may wear a golden hue. E ’en so my children, they whom fate, has planted in a low estate, Viewing their rulers from afar, admire what prodigies they are. O ! what a tyrant ! dreadful doom ! his crimes have wrapped our land in gloom ; A tyrant ! nay, a hero this, the glorious source of all our bliss ! But they who haunt the magic sphere, beholding then its inmates near, Know tnat the few, by some adored, by others flouted and abhorred, Nor sink so low, nor nse so high, as seems it to the vulgar eye. The man his party deems a hero; his foes, a Judas, or a Nero— Patriot of superhuman worth, or vilest wretch that cumbers earth, Derives his bright or murky hues, from distant and from party views ; Seen close, nor black, nor gold are they, but every one a sobergrey . Having quoted the above, the author will not trouble his readers with a longer preface, except to crave their leniency as critics, and forbearance for any errors that may be detected ; but it may be necessary to add that owing to the pressure of surveying duties in India, some delay may be caused in the production of the latter part of the book, so that it has been found advisable to divide the work into two parts, the first of which is nowoffered to the public. L. S. D. Digitized by L ^ o o Q ie CONTENTS O ♦--------- CHAPTER I. PAGE Ancient Geography and Hydrography. Mackenzie, Lane, Byron, Wallis, Carteret, Bougainville, Gauld, Captain Cook, Lieut. Mackenzie, Phipps, Varela, Des Barres and Holland, Tofino, La Perouse, Bligh, Phillip, Spence, Malaspina, McCluer, Columbine, Edwards, Vancouver, D’Entrecasteaux and Kermadec, Bampton and Alt, Churruca and Fidalgo, Broughton, Flinders . i CHAPTER II. Dalrymple, Beautemps Beaupré, Galiano and Valdez, Wedgborough and White, Horsburgh, Wilson, Humboldt, Grant, Baudin, Peter Heywood, Cevallos, Murray, D’Urban, Krusenstern, Lisiansky, Court, Daniel Ross .... 25 CHAPTER III. Hurd, De Ferrer, Thomas, De Mayne, Franzini, Martin White, Smyth, Holbrook, Hewett, W. Owen, Kotzebue, Lockwood, Tuckey, Maxwell, Gauttier, Bay­ field, Freycinet, King, John Ross, Franklin, Fitzmaurice, Roussin, Dessiou, Hell, Bellingshausen, Scoresby, Basil Haii, Bracks, L’Artigue, Vidal, Tiarks, Weddell, Duperrey, F. B u llo c k.................................................................... 45 CHAPTER IV. Parry, the Walkers, Kendall, Skyring, Wickham, Modera, Back, Roe, Bougain­ ville, Beechey, Copeland, P. Stokes, Zahrtmann, Kolff, Lütke, D’Urville, Dillon, Boteler, Foster, Mudge, Denham, Barnett, R. Owen, Slater, Moresby, Peytier, James Ross, Biscoe, S a b i n e.......................................................... 97 Digitized by L ^ o o Q ie Digitized byGoogle ERRA <♦» Page 2,—sixth . line from bottom, omit “ English.” „ 2,—fourteenth . „ „ „ for “ Edmund,” read “ Edward.” » 3,—twelfth . „ „ top, for “ Germany,” read “ Holland.” » 9»—eleventh. „ „ „ omit “ of Sir Humphry Davy.” „ lí,—sixth . „ „ „ for “ Tunor,” read “ Timor.” „ it,—fifth . „ „ bottom, for “ Ariadne”read “ „ *5»—seventh . ». .. top, for “Descebierta? read “ ,, 23,■” first . „ „ bottom, introduce “ Sydney” at end of the last line. ». 23»—sixth . „ „ „ for “ leading,” read “ leaving.” „ 42,—twenty-third „ „ top, for “ Cadiack,” read “ Kodiak.” „ 61,—nineteenth . „ „ „ for ** ascertian,” read “ ascertain.” „ 64,—thirty-second „ „ „ for “ seen,” read “ seem.” „ 72,—fourth . „ „ bottom, for “ 1827,” read “ 1817.” *» 73*—eleventh . „ „ „ for ** supernumuaiy,” read “ supernumerary.” Digitized by Google Digitized byGoogle MEMOIRS OF HYDROGRAPHY. CHAPTER 1. Ancient Geography and Hydrography. Mackenzie, Lane, Byron, Wallis, Carteret, Bougainville, Ganld, Captain Cook, Lient. Mackenzie, Phipps, Varela, Oes Barres and Holland, Tofino, La Perouse, Bligh, Phillip, Spence, Malaspina, MoCluer, Columbine, Edwards, Vancouver, D’ Entrecasteaux and Kermadec, Bampton and Alt, Churruca and Fidalgo, Herrera and Cevallos, Ugarte, Flinders, Broughton. The first records we have of geographical knowledge are in the Pentateuch, and in the book of Joshua. In the East, on the shores of Asia Minor, we must look for the cradle of geography. Homer describes the shield of Achilles as representing the earth surrounded by the Sea, and also the countries of Greece, islands of the Archipelago, and site of Troy. According to his writings, Corsica was the limit of the civilised world ?—the coasts of Hesperia, Galias, Iberia, and Mauritiana, were beyond the seas. The Mamertine strait, was considered very dangerous in those days ; the rock of Scylla, the whirlpool of Charybdis, and the floating islets of Eolus, were bugbears which the Greek navigators of the period always avoided. Anaximander of Miletus, was the inventor of geographical maps, about 568 B.C. That the Phoenicians well knew the art of navigation is proved by the voyage of Hannon, a celebrated Carthaginian general, who, with a powerful armada, sailed for Mauritiana and Western Africa,, even beyond the gulf of Guinea, forming fact­ ories along the coasts, and visiting the Canary islands. The Corinthians who were the inventors of the Triremes (ships of three tiers of oars) colonized Sicily, overrun Sardinia, Corsica, and France, landed forces at Marseilles, and continued on to the columns of Hercules ; they passed these, and came in contact with the Phoenicians, from whom, without doubt, they obtained the charts and directories, which they used in their voyages. Scillax, the Athenian traveller, penetrated beyond the strait of Gibraltar, and published his discoveries in his celebrated periplus. Alexander the Great, took with him geographers and astronomers, with a view to mapping the countries which he conquered.