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Expedition against New Orleans, and took part in the operations on 

 the Mississippi in support of the general attack on the American 

 lines. While on board the ' Tonnant ' he received his commission as 

 Lieutenant, dated 10th of March, 1815, and in the following year 

 was appointed to the 'Niger,' frigate, on the North-American 

 station. 



In January 1818, when he had been nearly twelve years in active 

 service, Lieutenant Beechey commenced his career as an Arctic 

 voyager, under his friend the late Sir John Franklin, in the ' Trent,' 

 which vessel was associated with the ' Dorothea,' Captain Buchan, in 

 an attempt to discover a northern communication between the 

 Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In this Expedition many important 

 scientific observations were made, and much useful information was 

 gained respecting the coast of Spitzbergen and the sea adjacent ; and 

 it is worthy of note, that, with the exception perhaps of some early 

 voyages by the Dutch, this, and the contemporaneous voyage of 

 Captain Ross to Baffin's Bay, were the first in which very deep 

 soundings were obtained ; mud and stone being brought up from the 

 bottom at a depth of more than a thousand fathoms, by means of 

 the contrivance called "deep-sea clamms," A narrative of this 

 Expedition was published by Lieut. Beechey in 1843, and has often 

 been favourably noticed by foreign as well as English journals. On 

 his return from this voyage, Beechey and his late commander, 

 Lieutenant Franklin, volunteered to attempt to reach the North 

 Pole by a journey over the ice ; and with this view they sub- 

 mitted to the Admiralty a plan of proceeding, which was afterwards 

 adopted, and to a great extent carried out by Sir Edward Parry in 

 1827. 



In January 1819 Lieutenant Beechey was appointed to the ' Hecla,' 

 under the command of Lieutenant (afterwards Sir Edward) Parry, 

 with whom he penetrated to the western longitude of 113 55', 

 within the Arctic Circle, wintered at Melville Island, and shared the 

 Parliamentary reward of 365000. 



In these Arctic expeditions the merits of Lieut. Beechey as an 

 able and vigilant officer, a skilful astronomical observer, and an 

 accomplished draughtsman, met with general recognition ; but it 

 was also in these memorable voyages, through hardships and 

 exertions, disregarded as usual at the time by a young and ardent 



