CHAPTEE II 



THE ANTAKCTIC VOYAGE : PRELIMINARIES 



JOSEPH HOOKER had received a unique bringing up in his 

 father's house. He did not so much learn botany as grow 

 up in it. At one-and-twenty he was probably the best-equipped 

 botanist of his years, and he was just finishing his medical 

 course. From his father's position he also received unique 

 opportunity. Sir William enjoyed the friendship of many 

 influential men, scientific and official, who kept him in touch 

 with any scientific projects that were taken up by Government. 

 Two such were afoot in 1838-9 : one, Eoss's expedition to the 

 Antarctic ; the other, Captain H. D. Trotter's 1 to the Niger. 

 Each would require a naturalist. Had Joseph Hooker failed 

 to secure a place with Eoss, he would almost certainly have 

 joined the other ill-fated expedition, most of the Europeans 

 on which died of fever. 



James Clark Eoss, the distinguished Arctic explorer, was 

 already known to Sir William through their common friend, 

 Dr. Eichardson of Haslar. He had told Sir William his prospect 

 of leading the Antarctic expedition which only awaited the 

 Government's definite authorisation. Now in the early autumn 

 of 1838 he was paying a visit to the Hookers' close friends 

 and neighbours, the Smiths of Jordan Hill, whose names in 



1 Captain, afterwards Rear- Admiral Henry Dundas Trotter (1802-59), 

 who had already distinguished himself in the suppression of piracy, headed an 

 expedition in 1841 to the west coast of Africa and especially to the Niger 

 to conclude treaties of commerce with the negro kings. Tropical fevers broke 

 up the expedition; two of the three ships were forced to return after three 

 weeks ; Trotter himself continued another four weeks before returning, so 

 shattered in health that he was unable to undertake active service for the space 

 of fourteen years. 



VOL. i 37 D 



