CHAPTER II 

 His Three Cruises 



Maury's early years in the navy afforded the lad from 

 the backwoods of Tennessee wonderful experiences, and 

 excellent opportunities for supplementing the desultory 

 education that he had received. To a young man of his 

 intellectual capacity, these voyages to foreign lands dur- 

 ing the most plastic years of his life were invaluable in 

 the development of a mind capable of grappling later 

 with questions and problems which concerned the entire 

 world. 



Luckily for the young officer, the very first ship to 

 which he was attached, the Brandywine, was the vessel 

 which had been chosen to convey Lafayette home to 

 France after his memorable visit to the United States. 

 This ship, named from Brandywine Creek, the scene of 

 the battle in which Lafayette was wounded on September 

 11, 1777, had been launched on June 16 of the year 1825. 

 In equipping her for this special service, the officers had 

 been selected so as to represent as many different states 

 as possible and, where it was practicable, they were to 

 be descendants of persons who had distinguished them- 

 selves in the Revolution. This accounted for the large 

 number of midshipmen ordered aboard her, twenty-six 

 instead of the usual eight or ten for a vessel of that size. 

 Maury was thus brought in touch with young officers 

 from various sections of the country; and among the 

 senior officers were Captain Charles Morris, who had 

 made a name for himself in the War of 1812, and Lieuten- 



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