LEAVING ENGLAND. 
11 
acquirements, by the Admiralty ; and the staff of 
civilian naturalists and physicists were nominated by 
a specially appointed committee of the Royal Society, 
who also furnished instructions and suggestions for 
the work. 
On the 7th December, 1872, after having swung 
ship for adjustment of compasses and taking magnetic 
observations, H.M.S. Challenger left Sheerness, en- 
countering very stormy weather on her passage to 
Portsmouth, which was not reached until the 11th; 
here a fortnight was spent completing supplies. 
On the 21st December all was pronounced ready, 
and the most important surveying expedition which 
had ever sailed from any country left Portsmouth 
Harbour. As the day advanced, in our progress 
down Channel, we fell in with miserable, stormy 
weather, which was our accompaniment for some 
time. Thus we left our native shores. The sen- 
sations were indeed painful ; parting from home, 
with all its pleasing associations, and cherished re- 
collections, had a powerful influence, and gave rise 
to melancholy impressions, happily relieved by the 
comforting hope that we should one day be permitted 
to return to all those so dear to us. 
The weather continuing of the same wild and 
stormy character as we crossed the Bay of Biscay, 
it was not until the 30th December, nine days after 
leaving England, that an opportunity presented it- 
self of commencing scientific work ; when we were 
