INTRODUCTION. XIX 



satisfactorily these expectations were fulfilled, must 

 appear from the manner in which their lordships 

 have marked their approbation of their conduct. 

 As commander of the expedition, however, I am 

 happy of an opportunity of again bearing testimony 

 to their diligence, and of expressing my thanks for 

 the assistance I derived during the voyage from 

 their exertions. They are especially due to my first 

 lieutenant, Mr. Peard, upon whom much additional 

 duty devolved, in consequence of my attention 

 being in some measure devoted to other objects of 

 the expedition : to Lieutenant Belcher and Mr. 

 Elson, the master, for their indefatigable attention 

 to the minor branches of surveying; and to the 

 former, again, for his assistance in geological re- 

 searches : to Lieutenant Wainwright for his astro- 

 nomical observations; to Mr. Collie, for his unre- 

 mitting attention to natural history, meteorology, 

 and geology ; to Mr. James Wolfe, for his attendance 

 at the observatory and the construction of charts; 

 and, lastly, to Messrs. Smyth and Richard Beechey, 

 for the devotion of their leisure time to drawing. 



On the return of the expedition to England, the 

 journals and papers of the officers were placed in 

 my hands by the Admiralty, with directions to pub- 

 lish an account of the voyage. I found those of 

 Messrs. Collie and Belcher to contain much useful 

 information on the above-mentioned branches of 

 science, and in other respects I have derived much 

 assistance from their remarks, and also from those in 

 the journals of Messrs. Evans, Smyth, and Beechey. 

 I have in general noticed these obligations in the 

 course of my narrative : but as this could not always 

 be done without inconvenience to the reader, I take 



