6 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 239 



accompanied by a large staff of scientists in order that maximum 

 results could be realized. He spoke before Congress, secured the 

 backing of scientific organizations, and obtained the necessary 

 newspaper publicity. 



His efforts were finally rewarded by the passage of a bill on May 14, 

 1836, authorizing President Andrew Jackson "to send out a surveying 

 and exploring expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas." 

 The act was certainly in the spirit of the times: the French sent the 

 Bonite around the world in 1836-1837, the Venus in 1836-1839, the 

 Astrolabe and Zelee to the Antarctic and the islands of the Pacific in 

 1837-1840, and the British sent the Sulphur to the South Pacific in 

 1836-1842. Before the United States Exploring Expedition set sail, 

 all of these expeditions had been completed or were on the high seas. 



The Department of the Navy appointed Captain Thomas Catesby 

 Jones to be commander of the voyage. Then followed nearly two 

 years of delay, of cross -purposes, charges, countercharges, and, 

 above all, general inefficiency. At last, Jones resigned in discourage- 

 ment and disgust. In March 1838 the command was given to Charles 

 Wilkes despite the protests of many who claimed that he had intrigued 

 to obtain the post. Perhaps he did, but as events proved, he showed 

 himself to have the ability and energy to do the work required. 



Charles wilkes. — Born in New York City in 1789, Charles 

 Wilkes became a midshipman in the United States Navy in 1818. 

 By 1836 his experience included cruises to the Mediterranean and 

 the Pacific, surveys of Narragansett Bay and Georges Bank on the 

 southern coast of Massachusetts, and surveys of the Savannah River 

 between South Carolina and Georgia. For some time, he was head of 

 the Depot of Charts and Instruments, the forerunner of the Hydro- 

 graphic Office and Naval Observatory. Wilkes was described as an 

 impetuous and dominating man with great determination and drive. 

 He was a strict disciplinarian and was often in conflict with both 

 superiors and subordinates, a characteristic which earned him the 

 title of "the stormy petrel." After the voyage, in the years prior to 

 the Civil War, he was engaged in the difficult task of seeing the reports 

 of the expedition through the press. 



Wilkes is remembered in American history because, as commander 

 of the San Jacinto dining the Civil War, he removed the Confederate 

 commissioners Mason and Slidell from the British steamer Trent, 

 an act which nearly caused Great Britain to enter the War. When 

 he died in 1877, he had achieved the rank of rear admiral. 



Sailing of the expedition. — By the time Wilkes took command, 

 the expedition was in great disorder and disrepute. He quickly put 

 affairs in shape and in less than five months was ready to set sail. 



