400 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [partii 
surveyors, arrived at George's Bay on the 16th of 
January, 1820. The season was late, but Mr Bransfield 
surveyed the islands discovered by Smith and got as far 
south as 63 °. He returned to Valparaiso May 27th 1 . 
The South Shetlands were the breeding grounds of 
immense numbers of fur seals, and the news of this wealth 
spread with incredible rapidity, so that in the very next 
year there were from 30 to 50 American sealing vessels 
among the islands, altering Captain Smith's names, and 
committing ruthless destruction. The pitiless slaughter 
could have but one result and in two or three years the fell 
work was done — the seals were practically exterminated. 
Fanning 2 , the historian of these voyages, tells us that 
the objects were sealing and discovery, but there can be 
little doubt which was the preponderating motive. It is 
much to be regretted that there was no authority to keep 
within some bounds the cupidity of the sealers. In two 
years 320,000 fur seals had been destroyed, besides at 
least 100,000 young, owing to the loss of their mothers. 
In 1821, the American Captains Pendleton, Williams, 
Dunbar, and Palmer were at work. The volcano on 
Deception Island was found to be active, and some 
islands to the S.W. were discovered, not including Trinity 
Island of the Admiralty Charts, which has been called 
Palmer Island, in 63 0 25' S. and 57 0 55' W. Trinity Land is 
on Bransfield's chart. Captain Palmer continued to 
make sealing voyages until 1829. The South Orkney 
Islands were discovered by the English sealing captain 
Powell in 1820. 
In 1829 Captain Foster came to the South Shetlands 
in the course of his scientific voyage, with the object of 
taking pendulum observations, which occupied him for 
two months 3 . He also explored the volcano on De- 
ception Island. This very distinguished scientific Arctic 
officer, born in 1796, began his career in the Conway 
under Captain Basil Hall. He was with Clavering on 
the east coast of Greenland, with Parry in his third voyage, 
1 The writer's uncle, John Markham, was an acting Lieutenant on 
board the Andromache, and he made a copy of Mr Bransfield's first chart. 
There are 21 names on it. 
2 Mr Fanning wrote Voyages round the World, containing reports of the 
voyages of Pendleton and Palmer. 
3 At Pendulum Cove in King George's Island. 
