30 MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY 



Navy an excuse for removing him from his position. 

 Matters had by this time come to such a pass that 

 several officers dechned the command when it was offered 

 them; namely, Captains Shubrick, Kearny, Perry, and 

 Gregory. Finally, in April, 1838, a junior officer. Lieu- 

 tenant Charles Wilkes, though there were eighty lieu- 

 tenants above his grade, was selected, and he accepted 

 the appointment. 



The sloops of war Vincennes and Peacock and two 

 smaller vessels were chosen instead of those originally 

 prepared, and it became necessary to reorganize the 

 personnel of the expedition. Maury had sympathized 

 with Captain Jones in the unjust treatment which he had 

 received from the Secretary of the Navy, and besides he 

 had written that Wilkes was the only officer in the navy 

 with whom he would not cooperate provided that he was 

 put in command of the enterprise. He therefore asked 

 to be detached from the expedition. 



Maury might possibly have had the honor of com- 

 manding the exploring expedition himself, as clearly 

 indicated by the following letter which he wrote years 

 afterwards: "The expedition had been taken away from 

 the Secretary of the Navy and transferred to Poinsett, 

 Secretary of War. I was ordered to fetch the instru- 

 ments to Washington and report myself to Poinsett. 

 He received me with open arms, took me into his bosom, 

 and asked me to give him the names of the officers 

 without regard to rank that / thought best qualified for 

 the expedition. I afterwards had reason to suppose that 

 he expected me to name myself and intended to put me 

 in command of it, as really I was the most important 

 personage in it — Hydrographer and Astronomer. But 

 I asked myself, what right have I to draw distinctions 



