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INTRODUCTION. 
and Captain Franklin’s party being, in addition, destitute of a convey- 
ance to a place whence it could return to Europe. To obviate these anti- 
cipated difficulties, his Majesty’s government determined upon sending 
a ship to Beering’s Strait to await the arrival of the two expeditions. 
As this vessel would traverse, in her route, a portion of the globe 
hitherto little explored, and as a considerable period must necessarily 
elapse before her presence would be required in the north, it was 
intended to employ her in surveying and exploring such parts of the 
Pacific as were within her reach, and were of the most consequence 
to navigation. 
The vessel selected for this service was his Majesty’s ship Blossom, 
of twenty-six guns, but on this occasion mounting only sixteen ; and on 
the 12th of January, 1825, I had the honour of being appointed to 
the command of her. 'Jhe following officers, most of them men distin- 
guished for their abilities, were placed under my orders, viz. : — 
Lieutenant, 
Ditto, 
Ditto, 
Master, . . 
Surgeon, 
Purser, 
Admiralty 
Mates, 
Midshipmen, 
George Peard. 
I Edw. Belclier, Supernumerary, 
\ and Assistant Surveyor. 
John Wainwright. 
Thomas Elson. 
Alex. Collie. 
George Marsh. 
J. F. Gould* 
William Smyth, 
James Wolfe. 
John Rendall, 
Richard B. Beechey. 
Naturalist, 
Assistant Surgeon, 
Clerhs, 
V olunteers, Class, 
Ditto, . 2d Class, 
Gunner, 
Boatswain, 
Carpenter, 
George T. Lay. 
Thomas Neilson. 
John Evans, 
Chas. H. Osmer. 
John Crawley, 
John Hockley. 
Edward Barlow, 
Charles Lewis. 
John Richardson. 
James Clarkson. 
Thos. Garrett. 
To these were added such a number of seamen, marines, and boys, 
as, with the exception of the supernumeraries, would form a complement 
of a hundred and ten persons ; but in consequence of the weakness 
of our crew when collected, I was permitted to discharge ten of the 
most inefficient ; a reduction which, without sensibly diminishing the 
strength of our crew, materially increased the duration of our stock of 
provisions, and in the sequel proved of the most happy consequence. 
* This valuable young officer was obliged to quit the ship at Rio Janeiro on account of 
his health. 
