seventeen-man crew aboard; the other, without loss of life, 

 in 1841 in the Columbia River. Another, considered to be 

 unseaworthy, was sold during the voyage. Also, during the 

 lengthy voyage two officers were killed by Fijian natives. 

 These misfortunes, coupled with illness, perilous weather, 

 and dissatisfied crews, made for an eventful and dramatic 

 journey. 10 



Wilkes' complex personality reportedly resulted in 

 several other problems as well. Many at the time considered 

 him to be a highly intelligent scientist and a dedicated 

 officer. Others thought Wilkes to be rash, impetuous, hot 

 tempered, and a harsh disciplinarian. These personal traits 

 contrast sharply with those of Wilkes' aunt, Mrs. Seaton, 

 later to become Mother Seaton, with whom he lived for a 

 short time while a boy. Mother Seaton was canonized in 

 1974— the first American saint. Often he was at odds with 

 both his superiors at home and his subordinates at sea. He 

 was remembered by some as a snob, irascible, self-righteous, 

 and opinionated. Understandably, his relationship with the 

 Expedition's scientists was far from harmonious. 11 



EXPEDITION'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS 



Despite these and numerous other problems, the accom- 

 plishments of the Expedition were considerable, especially 

 in light of its being the first such venture undertaken by 

 the United States. Wilkes and his crew surveyed vast por- 

 tions of the Pacific Ocean. They also explored many of the 

 islands in the South Pacific, as well as Australia, New 

 Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines, Singapore, 

 the Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena, and the coast of the 

 Pacific Northwest. 



Considerable time was also spent cruising approximately 

 1,600 miles of the Antarctic coastline. This latter venture con- 

 firmed that Antarctica was a continent— a continuous land 

 mass, rather than a series of islands. This was the 



10 Bryan, The Wilkes Expedition, pp. 1455, 1457, 1460-1461. 



11 Hill, Charles Wilkes-Turbulent Scholar of the Old Navy, 

 pp. 868-869; and Morgan, Autobiography of Charles Wilkes, pp. 383-385. 



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